Baroness VICKERSMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will confirm that they are determined, despite threats from newly elected Labour councils, to give all council tenants the right to buy the property in which they have resided for many years.
§ The PARLIAMENTARY UNDERSECRETARY of STATE, DEPARTMENT of the ENVIRONMENT (Lord Bellwin)My Lords, yes. The proposal that council tenants should have the right to buy is contained in the Housing Bill, which was read a second time in your Lordship's House on 9th June.
Baroness VICKERSMy Lords, has my noble friend seen the case of a member of the Labour Party who was living in a council house, who was negotiating to buy it for £6,000, but has now been refused? What action can my noble friend take in such a case?
§ Lord BELLWINMy Lords, there are a great number of such people who were in the midst of negotiations prior to the local elections in May, when control changed, and as a consequence sales that were in hand at the time were stopped. Of course the Government regret this very much, but at the present time have no powers to do anything about it. After the Housing Bill becomes the law of the land it will be a different matter because, in the unlikely event that any local authority should then decide not to comply with the law, under Clause 22 of the Bill there will be powers for the 160 Secretary of State to take over the sale. But we confidently expect that that is most unlikely to happen.