Mr. Mark Field (Cities of London and Westminster) (Con): Many of us present are old hands at speaking in Westminster Hall on the continued complexities and persistent demands of providing affordable, decent and plentiful homes in the capital. I fear that I have joined the hon. Member for Islington North (Jeremy Corbyn) as one of the usual suspects in that regard, and perhaps in many other ways as well. The frequency of our presence in this Chamber testifies to the difficulty of striking the right balance when dealing with housing need in London. ...

Mr. Mark Field (Cities of London and Westminster) (Con): As the right hon. Gentleman is coming to funding, does he agree that, although we all appreciate that these are difficult and constrained economic times, in many ways we are beyond the point of no return?...

Mr. Mark Field (Cities of London and Westminster) (Con): I congratulate Frank Dobson on securing this important debate. I associate myself entirely with his words. As he will know, we have tried to work together, along with Meg Hillier. Underlying much of what the right hon. Gentleman said is the fact that the Crown Estate has traditionally been a very good landlord. The communities that it has built have been more stable than many of...

Mr. Mark Field (Cities of London and Westminster) (Con): I congratulate the hon. Member for Ealing, Acton and Shepherd's Bush (Mr. Slaughter) on initiating the debate. As he will know, I have raised my general concerns regarding housing provision in the capital a number of times over the past year in the House. However, I would be grateful if you allowed me to take a slightly more parochial approach on this occasion, Mrs. Humble. ...

Mr. Mark Field (Cities of London and Westminster) (Con): Talk of the economic downturn has gone hand in hand with some very gloomy predictions about the health of the housing market...