HC Deb 15 December 1982 vol 34 cc267-9
2. Mr. Henderson

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many former public sector tenants have now bought their own homes since May 1979; how many tenants have indicated a wish to buy but have not yet had their transactions completed; and if he will make a statement.

The Under-Secretary of State for Scotland (Mr. Allan Stewart)

The reported number of sitting tenants who have bought their houses between 1 April 1979 and 30 September 1982 is nearly 28,000. An estimated 38,000 or so other tenants have applied to buy since May 1979. Of these, just over 8,000 have concluded missives.

Mr. Henderson

I thank my hon. Friend for that moderately encouraging reply. Is he aware that in Fife, the Glenrothes development corporation, the Dunfermline district council and the Kirkcaldy district council have sold more than 1,000 houses to sitting tenants? Is he further aware that even the smaller North-East Fife district council has sold more than 700 houses? Does he agree that if the same proportion of houses as have been sold in Fife had been sold throughout Scotland he would have been able to announce double the figures that he has just announced? Will he ask other authorities to emulate the Fife example, which has been helpful both to ratepayers and to tenants?

Mr. Allan Stewart

I agree with my hon. Friend. District councils tenants in Fife have shown wisdom and acumen in these matters. I assure my hon. Friend that there has been a sustained increase in the number of applications to buy throughout Scotland since February. I hope that it will not be too long before the rest of Scotland reaches the levels that have already been achieved in Fife.

Mr. Donald Stewart

Will the Minister make clear for the purpose of statistics at what stage he regards a sale as having been made? Is it at the time when the local authority agrees, or when the missives are delivered?

Mr. Allan Stewart

When the missives are delivered. The right hon. Gentleman has tabled a detailed written question on precisely that point, which I am answering.

Mr. William Hamilton

Is the Minister aware that Kirkcaldy district council bitterly resents being compelled by the Government to sell houses that it does not want to sell because such sales prevent people on the waiting list getting houses for rent? Does he agree that, despite that, it has always been the policy of successive Governments, especially with regard to new towns, to sell houses built by private enterprise for sale and if the development corporation is a willing seller?

Mr. Allan Stewart

Sales do not affect the total housing stock. Kirkcaldy district council has asked to see me because its present estimate of sales far exceeds its earlier one. That demonstrates the substantial interest of tenants in purchasing houses in Kirkcaldy.

Mr. Corrie

Has any problem arisen in rural areas with small stocks of houses, some of which have to be kept for essential jobs? Have any councils been in touch with my hon. Friend on this matter?

Mr. Allan Stewart

I assure my hon. Friend that I have received no such representations recently.

Mr. Dewar

Does the Minister accept that bitter experience shows that the best and most popular part of the housing stock is being sold off? Is he aware that the public sector housing stock is therefore being grievously impoverished by Government policies? On the alleged success of the campaign, will the hon. Gentleman confirm that the outturn of capital receipts in Scotland in 1982–83, which largely consist of council house sales, is £16 million lower than the Government expected and that the estimate for 1983–84 suggests a major tailing off in their expectations about the sale of council houses?

Mr. Allan Stewart

The hon. Gentleman is talking nonsense. People in all income groups throughout Scotland are applying to buy their houses. There has been an interesting spate of applications from the Gorbals area of Glasgow. I assure the hon. Gentleman that resources from the sale of houses are available for local authorities to improve their general housing stock.