Feb 09 - Government Says Housing Rent Arrears Grew By 600% When GSD Was In Office
The Government accused the GSD of "attempting to wash their hands of a problem", and said housing rent arrears grew by 600% when the previous GSD administration dissolved the Central Arrears Unit that had been set up by the first GSLP Government.
The Government says it is now in the process of setting up mechanisms to collect arrears and to control the accrual of debts in future.
A spokesman for No6 adds: "The innovative measure which will ensure that people who want berths pay any arrears they have to Government is only the beginning.
"The Government is also going to introduce legislation in order to be able to pursue debtors in respect of periods longer than six years.
"Further initiatives are being planned to enable collection of arrears and to prevent debt levels from rising in the future.
"The GSD should start by welcoming this initiative and those to come, and apologise for having disbanded the Central Arrears Unit.
"It is worth recalling that housing rent arrears grew by 600% when the GSD were in office.
"The Government has already pointed out that the housing arrears position in March 1996, when the GSD first came into office, was £655,031. This continued to increase year on year without the GSD tackling the matter until it reached about £4 million when they left office in December 2011. This represents an increase in housing rent arrears of about 600%."
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