§ Mr. Doigasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has yet reviewed his policy on the granting of dispensations to allow councillors who are tenants of council houses to vote on council house rents.
§ Mr. RossYes. I am satisfied that the policy which has been pursued for many years does not achieve any logical purpose. As dispensations have invariably been granted where the number of councillor tenants is one-third or more of the whole council, or where the majority party on the council could be defeated as a result of one or more of their members being precluded from voting, dispensations are already given in cases where the number of councillors is sufficient to affect the decision of the council, while being refused only in cases where the number is in any case so small as to make no difference. I have, therefore, decided to exercise my powers under the Local Government (Pecuniary Interests) (Scotland) Act 1966 to grant a general dispensation to allow councillor tenants to vote on questions of housing finance from 1st November.22W of 1966; and, as far as can be ascertained, what were the principal reasons given for these resignations.
§ Mr. RossThe information for the years 1960 to 1965 has been published in the annual reports of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary for Scotland and is contained in the table set out below.
Voluntary resignations from Scottish forces during the first nine months of 1966 total 344. An analysis of the reasons given for resignation will not be available until the end of the year.