<b></b> New housing minister Lord Rooker has branded the level of housebuilding in the UK as &amp;“nothing short of a disgrace&amp;”.<br> In a speech that will hearten the industry, Rooker condemned the fact that homes in England are being replaced at the rate of 0.1% a year compared with 1% in the rest of Europe. &amp;“If we don&amp;’t do something about that,&amp;” he said, &amp;“we are leaving future generations with catastrophic problems. We are leaving a legacy which is not fair.&amp;”<p></p><p>Rooker said that he was looking for more money from the Treasury to prompt a push for housing.</p><p>The unequivocal tone to the speech will encourage those housebuilders which have been pressing for action on new home building for some years. House Builders Federation president Geoff Ball last month warned that housebuilding will go the same way as the railways if the issue of releasing land is not addressed. Ball said that fears of upsetting the green lobby and created the problem.</p><p> The government is showing signs of listening. The chancellor Gordon Brown has said that housing will be a major beneficiary of this month&amp;’s spending review and is reported to be keen to get to grips with the dearth of …