Unemployed council housing tenants may soon be able to engage in a national house swap scheme to improve prospects and curb joblessness under new plans mooted by ministers, it is understood.

In a move reminiscent of Lord Tebbit's notable 1980's speech advising the unemployed to 'get on your bike' in a bid to find work, housing minister Grant Shapps will release details on the HomeSwap Direct scheme giving tenants greater flexibility in searching for work via a national database of properties available for exchange across the country.