STATEMENT BY THE HON. MEMBER FOR BARKING ON HOUSING PRIORITY

Early day motion 1521, tabled 21 May 2007 by Diane Abbott (Labour). Signed by 22 members.

That this House regrets the hon. Member for Barking's recent call to give British people housing priority over immigrants; notes that immigrant families do not currently get priority over British families, as the hon. Member implies, that asylum seekers are not entitled to council housing and that arrivals from new EU states have restricted access to benefits; further notes that there is a crisis regarding affordable housing in many inner city areas; believes that the answer is to increase housing supply, in particular by a new programme of building well-managed council housing; and does not believe that the current housing crisis will be solved by scapegoating homeless families on the basis of race, ethnicity or national origin.

Signatures by party: Labour 16, Liberal Democrat 4, Respect 1, Social Democratic and Labour Party 1.