§ Mr. McMasterTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will visit the Paisley, South constituency to evaluate the need for investment in public sector housing; and if he will make a statement.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonMy right hon. Friend has no plans to visit Paisley, South. Renfrew district council's relative housing needs and its plans for tackling these needs were taken fully into account when making decisions about final housing capital allocations for 1992–93. Renfrew's gross final housing revenue account capital allocation for investment in its own housing stock in 1992–93 totals £18.439 million. It is for the council to decide how best to deploy these considerable resources to meet local housing needs. The council should include its plans for future housing investment in its housing capital programme when this is submitted to the Scottish Office Environment Department later this year.
§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will extend the consultation period on compulsory competitive tendering for housing management in Scotland until the end of the year; and if he will make a statement.
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§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 6 July 1992]: We have allowed over three months for the receipt of responses to the consultation paper on compulsory competitive tendering for housing management. I consider this to he a reasonable period in which interested parties can respond, although if particular bodies face difficulty in responding by the 18 September deadline they should contact the Scottish Office Environment Department at the address given in the consultation paper to discuss whether a short extension can be granted. Our proposals on CCT for housing management form an integral part of the programme of action set out in the tenants charter for Scotland, designed to improve the quality and efficiency of the housing service available to council tenants.