§ Mr. Nigel JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what consultation was undertaken with housing associations before amendments were made to the eligibility criteria of the do-it-yourself shared ownership programme in respect of private tenants; what account was taken of the practice of housing associations in respect of their policy towards applications from private tenants when their quotas were filled; and what action his Department intends to take to help those private tenants who have(a) signed agreements with housing associations, (b) given notice to their present landlords and (c) paid for valuation fees, mortgage offers or local authority searches who were subsequently informed that their agreements have been cancelled. [6910]
§ Mr. ClappisonHousing associations were not consulted about our decision, as part of the Budget settlement for the Housing Corporation's approved development programme, to direct the whole of the DIYSO programme at housing association and local authority tenants from April 1996, to ensure that for every successful DIYSO applicant a social letting would be released for another family in housing need.
We have asked the Housing Corporation to honour any firm pre-commitments it has made on the DIYSO programme. My officials are considering with the corporation what procedures should be adopted by housing associations to protect private sector tenants who have been accepted onto the DIYSO scheme.