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Government Capital Expenditure

The idea of getting the councils in to talk to the Government about what can be done is right. It should also be possible to bring in some of the developers and get them to work together. There should not necessarily be a public/private sector demarcation. My hon. Friend is right. Although I think the failings are largely in the Government, they are not entirely in the Government. The new agency is probably highly conservative in its approach. I get a sense that it is reluctant, for example, to encourage the buying up of empty stock because it says that it is the wrong quality and cannot be used for public sector housing, so housing stock just sits there empty when many people are desperate. There is a conservatism and a reluctance to act across the board. If my hon. Friend's suggestion is taken seriously, the Government should get all the parties round the table, bang their heads together and get some action.