The review will be completed by spring 2009; I anticipate that recommendations arising from it will go out to consultation and that any legislation would take place after that.

The review will be completed by spring 2009; I anticipate that recommendations arising from it will go out to consultation and that any legislation would take place after that.

I should also like to dispel the myth that registered social landlords are evil incarnate; I do not think that they are. I am keen to see more bang for the public buck. If housing associations can provide extra resources and extra homes and improved services, with the ability to...

I should also like to dispel the myth that registered social landlords are evil incarnate; I do not think that they are. I am keen to see more bang for the public buck. If housing associations can provide extra resources and extra homes and improved services, with the ability to...

A number of the issues that the Minister has just raised are straw men to be knocked down; no one has raised those sorts of arguments. Will the Minister give us a time scale by which the review will be completed, the recommendation will be brought to the House and...

A number of the issues that the Minister has just raised are straw men to be knocked down; no one has raised those sorts of arguments. Will the Minister give us a time scale by which the review will be completed, the recommendation will be brought to the House and...

Before I give way, let me quote from my right hon. Friend's written ministerial statement. These are the principles on which we need to undertake a review on council house financing:"““This system should be fair to both tenants and taxpayers. It should be transparent, giving a clear and accurate picture...

Before I give way, let me quote from my right hon. Friend's written ministerial statement. These are the principles on which we need to undertake a review on council house financing:"““This system should be fair to both tenants and taxpayers. It should be transparent, giving a clear and accurate picture...

I thank the Minister for giving way; he is being very generous. My point is simply that councils should be treated as housing associations are. If the 10,000 council houses in Chesterfield were transferred to a housing association, they would be treated in an utterly different way financially. Let the...

I thank the Minister for giving way; he is being very generous. My point is simply that councils should be treated as housing associations are. If the 10,000 council houses in Chesterfield were transferred to a housing association, they would be treated in an utterly different way financially. Let the...

I have just explained the initiatives that we are putting in place. We cannot implement or change something as complex as the housing revenue account subsidy system without undertaking a review and thinking through the consequences. If the hon. Gentleman seriously believes in ill thought through, knee-jerk legislation, I will...

I have just explained the initiatives that we are putting in place. We cannot implement or change something as complex as the housing revenue account subsidy system without undertaking a review and thinking through the consequences. If the hon. Gentleman seriously believes in ill thought through, knee-jerk legislation, I will...

Does the hon. Gentleman agree that this is virtually the last chance for some local authorities? If they do not get that help now, they will have no choice about fighting off the privatisation of their council houses. They will have to go along with it reluctantly, because they simply...

Does the hon. Gentleman agree that this is virtually the last chance for some local authorities? If they do not get that help now, they will have no choice about fighting off the privatisation of their council houses. They will have to go along with it reluctantly, because they simply...

My hon. Friend is right. Money is being taken out of the pocket of council tenants and out of the housing revenue accounts that should be used for the improvement of their housing. Indeed, it has not only been taken in the form of the £1.5 billion —soon to be...

My hon. Friend is right. Money is being taken out of the pocket of council tenants and out of the housing revenue accounts that should be used for the improvement of their housing. Indeed, it has not only been taken in the form of the £1.5 billion —soon to be...

My hon. Friend makes an important point about the amount of money that has been stolen out of council housing. Is it not about time that we scotched the myth that council tenants are subsidised and feather-bedded? Far from it, resources have been taken out of council housing, which should...

My hon. Friend makes an important point about the amount of money that has been stolen out of council housing. Is it not about time that we scotched the myth that council tenants are subsidised and feather-bedded? Far from it, resources have been taken out of council housing, which should...

Enormous amounts of money have been spent. I do not wish to make a judgment on Birmingham—that is up to Birmingham Members—but we are spending millions to give away billions in public assets such as land, housing and public property. It is a one-sided argument, which is why we tabled...

Enormous amounts of money have been spent. I do not wish to make a judgment on Birmingham—that is up to Birmingham Members—but we are spending millions to give away billions in public assets such as land, housing and public property. It is a one-sided argument, which is why we tabled...

I share the hon. Gentleman's concern about children growing up in homeless, rather than roofless, circumstances. Would he agree that that state of affairs has knock-on effects, such as unstable housing and children having to move from school to school? That does not do much good for their education.

I share the hon. Gentleman's concern about children growing up in homeless, rather than roofless, circumstances. Would he agree that that state of affairs has knock-on effects, such as unstable housing and children having to move from school to school? That does not do much good for their education.

The House sometimes gets a bit nauseating in its self-congratulations, but my right hon. Friend the Member for Oldham, West and Royton (Mr. Meacher) clinically set out the arguments for the new clause. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell) not only for the new...

The House sometimes gets a bit nauseating in its self-congratulations, but my right hon. Friend the Member for Oldham, West and Royton (Mr. Meacher) clinically set out the arguments for the new clause. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell) not only for the new...

In introducing the debate and the programme motion, the Minister talked about the Public Bill Committee. The debate on Report is an opportunity for all Back Benchers—not only those, such as me, who had the privilege of serving on the Committee—to contribute to the Bill. I suspect that today's debate...

In introducing the debate and the programme motion, the Minister talked about the Public Bill Committee. The debate on Report is an opportunity for all Back Benchers—not only those, such as me, who had the privilege of serving on the Committee—to contribute to the Bill. I suspect that today's debate...

I share the hon. Gentleman's concern about the ludicrous way in which one-sided arguments are made in large-scale voluntary transfers. In new clause 1(2)(h), he proposes a limit on the amount of money that is spent. In Birmingham, which, admittedly, is the largest public sector landlord, a sum of £12...

I share the hon. Gentleman's concern about the ludicrous way in which one-sided arguments are made in large-scale voluntary transfers. In new clause 1(2)(h), he proposes a limit on the amount of money that is spent. In Birmingham, which, admittedly, is the largest public sector landlord, a sum of £12...

I rise to speak to new clause 1, amendment No. 5 and new clause 8. My hon. Friend the Minister told us that he would continue to listen to the debate, and I assure him that the council house group in whose serried ranks I sit is also continuing to...

I rise to speak to new clause 1, amendment No. 5 and new clause 8. My hon. Friend the Minister told us that he would continue to listen to the debate, and I assure him that the council house group in whose serried ranks I sit is also continuing to...

I should like to move on, but I will give way to the hon. Gentleman first.

I should like to move on, but I will give way to the hon. Gentleman first.

The hon. Gentleman has made an important point. I shall try to make that clear throughout my speech. I am aware that, having spoken for 13 minutes, I am still dealing with new clause 11. Given that, according to the hon. Member for Montgomeryshire, we have only 73 seconds to...

The hon. Gentleman has made an important point. I shall try to make that clear throughout my speech. I am aware that, having spoken for 13 minutes, I am still dealing with new clause 11. Given that, according to the hon. Member for Montgomeryshire, we have only 73 seconds to...

I am going to help the Minister to move on. I agree that the Government seem to have listened to some of the discussions that took place in Committee. I give credit to the Minister, who is a pleasure to work with because he does not always follow the line...

I am going to help the Minister to move on. I agree that the Government seem to have listened to some of the discussions that took place in Committee. I give credit to the Minister, who is a pleasure to work with because he does not always follow the line...

In response to what the Minister said at the beginning of his speech, may I say that it might have been politic if he had briefly apologised to the House for waiting until almost the last minute before tabling 37 pages of amendments? The Bill had an unusually long lapse...

In response to what the Minister said at the beginning of his speech, may I say that it might have been politic if he had briefly apologised to the House for waiting until almost the last minute before tabling 37 pages of amendments? The Bill had an unusually long lapse...

I fully accept that, and it is the background to the point I am about to make. Given the huge and swelling extent of unmet housing need, it is crucial that the funding of public rented housing—in particular the levels of management and maintenance allowance and the major repair allowance—is...

I fully accept that, and it is the background to the point I am about to make. Given the huge and swelling extent of unmet housing need, it is crucial that the funding of public rented housing—in particular the levels of management and maintenance allowance and the major repair allowance—is...