David Taylor (North West Leicestershire, Labour)

When he next plans to visit North-West Leicestershire on official business.

Tony Blair (Prime Minister; Sedgefield, Labour)

I have no current plans to do so, but may well in the future.

David Taylor (North West Leicestershire, Labour)

Residents of the council estates in North-West Leicestershire, such as the one on which I grew up, are very pleased with the progress made since 1997 in such areas as education, employment, health and pensions, but they are baffled by the direction of housing policy. Will the Prime Minister come with me to talk to those tenants and explain why they are facing a coerced stock transfer away from a good and successful local authority to a landlord that is likely to be less responsive, less affordable and much less accountable? Will he ask his deputy to come to the parliamentary council housing group in this place on a similar mission?

Tony Blair (Prime Minister; Sedgefield, Labour)

I thank my hon. Friend for his kind words about our achievements since 1997, but no one is coerced—[Interruption.] That is the case because there is a ballot for these transfers. Tenants benefit because housing associations are able to secure more investment than is usually available from the local council or Government grant. Actually, £6.5 billion has been levered in from the private sector through the stock transfer and the 61 schemes announced last week should deliver a further £3 billion of investment. We should celebrate the fact that by 2010, 2 million homes will have been brought up to the decent homes standard. However, that cannot be done simply through the old local authority route. There must be a mix of provision and, as I say, stock transfers occur only when tenants have actually voted for them—they take the final decision.