§ Mr. McAllionTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what(a) guidance and (b) direction he has issued to Scottish Homes to abandon its role as landlord; and if he will place copies of these documents in the Library.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonUnder section 3A of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1988, Scottish Homes' power to dispose of its housing stock may be exercised only with the consent of my right hon. Friend. He issued guidance to Scottish Homes in February 1989 and February 1991, following which Scottish Homes published its own procedures for the large-scale voluntary disposal of its stock. Copies of these guidance documents, entitled "Scottish Homes: Arrangements for Evaluating the Suitability of Proposals for Acquisition of Stock by Other Landlords: Note by SDD" and "Guidance on Scottish Homes Stock Disposals: February 1991", are available in the Library. No directions have been issued to Scottish Homes on this matter.