§ Mr. McLeishTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if any discussions have taken place between Ministers or officials and representatives of Glenrothes development corporation on the sale of housing assets in the new town.
§ Mr. LangDiscussions have taken place on this subject on a number of occasions in recent years between my officials and officers of Glenrothes development corporation. The developments at Alexander road, Huntly drive and Durris drive arise directly from those discussions. Furthermore, Glenrothes development corporation's sales of housing to sitting tenants have proved very successful and the 5,000th such sale is expected to take place in the very near future.
§ Mr. McLeishTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met with Scottish local authorities with new towns to discuss the future of public sector housing in Scotland's five new towns.
§ Mr. LangThe last such meeting took place on 3 October 1986. I am due to meet SLANT (Scottish Local Authorities with New Towns) in London in early June.
§ Mr. McLeishTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he or any of his officials have met Kirkcaldy district council in its current year to discuss the future of the public sector housing stock in Glenrothes new town.
§ Mr. McLeishTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if any discussions have taken place between 125W Ministers or officials and representatives of Quality Street housing association on the sale of housing assets in Glenrothes new town.
§ Mr. McLeishTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if any discussions have taken place between either Ministers or officials of the Scottish Office and Quality Street housing association on the sale of new town housing assets in Scotland.
§ Mr. McLeishTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make it his policy to ensure that Scottish new towns do not enter into agreements to sell public housing assets to organisations other than individual tenants in advance of the coming into force of the Housing (Scotland) Bill.
§ Mr. LangNo. Scottish new town development corporations have over the last three years successfully concluded agreements whereby 608 houses have been sold to the private sector for refurbishment and subsequent sale to new town residents. Of these, 99 houses were in Glenrothes in the Alexander road, Huntly drive and Durris drive areas. The Government's proposals in clause 67 of the Housing (Scotland) Bill are designed to remove the limitations in section 18 of the New Towns (Scotland) Act 1968, whereby disposals by a development corporation may be solely for the laying out or development of the new town. Given the maturity of the Scottish new towns, the Government concluded that this constraint was both dated and unnecessary.
§ Mr. McLeishTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the total number of public sector houses and flats in each of Scotland's new towns.
§ Mr. LangThe information is available at page 36 of the "Scottish Housing Statistics 1986", published in 1987, copies of which are available in the Library, although separate information on houses and flats is not available centrally.