Housing Transfers (Hansard, 7 June 1988)

§ Mr. Ingram
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has given any advice to any of the new town development corporations on the transfer of blocks of houses with sitting tenants to any private developer or any other housing body; and if he will make a statement

§ Mr. Lang
No such advice has been issued.
519W

§ Mr. Ingram
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he proposes to give advice to any of the new town development corporations on the transfer of blocks of houses with sitting tenants to any private developer or any other housing body prior to the announced intention to amend the New Towns (Scotland) Act 1968; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Lang
No transfer of tenanted houses to other landlords in the period before wind-up of the development corporations will take place without the consent of the tenants involved. Advice to development corporations will be issued following enactment of the Housing (Scotland) Bill currently before Parliament.

§ Mr. Ingram
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will take steps to ensure that no new town tenant can be transferred to any other landlord under a management agency agreement without the prior consent of the tenant.

§ Mr. Lang
Any decision to transfer to another landlord in the period before wind-up of a development corporation is a matter for the tenant, as was made clear by my hon. Friend, the Minister responsible for home affairs and the environment when he responded to the hon. Member during Committee stage consideration of the Housing (Scotland) Bill—First Scottish Standing Committee, 25 February 1988, column1023. The options for housing transfer at wind-up will be considered in the detailed and wide-ranging review which was announced by my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State on 13 May.

§ Mr. Ingram
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will take steps to ensure that any new town tenant transferred to a new landlord under a management agency agreed between a new town development corporation and a private developer or any other housing body will retain existing security of tenure.

§ Mr. Lang
Since ownership of the house in such circumstances would remain with the development corporation, any tenants affected by a management agency agreement would retain their existing statutory right to security of tenure.