Housing: New Housebuilding

Lord McKenzie of Luton Excerpts

Wednesday 20th March 2013 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Hanham]

My Lords, the announcement supporting privately developed housing will certainly assist. We are also very supportive of housing for rent and we have invested in it quite heavily over the past months and years. There is a complete recognition that housing for rent is essential. There is £10 billion of support for the delivery of new private rented housing as well as a further grant of £300 million for affordable housing. The Government are moving as far as they can to invest in the areas mentioned by the noble Baroness.

[Lord McKenzie of Luton]

My Lords, as has been said, today we have heard announcements of more generous discounts and shorter qualifying periods for the right to buy, but these are being made at the same time as the bedroom tax is about to kick in. Do the right-to-buy discounts apply in full whether or not the property is under occupied?

[Baroness Hanham]

My Lords, the regulations related to the right to buy are as they are at the present time. I do not believe that they have changed and therefore the noble Lord will know how they apply and that they are going to carry on as before.