§ Mr. MacKayasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is yet in a position to issue new guidelines regarding housing assistance under the crofters building grants and loans scheme.
§ Mr. YoungerI have considered whether housing assistance should continue to be given under the crofters building grants and loans scheme where the croft house has been detached from the croft and assistance for a replacement house is sought.
Each case will be taken on its merits; but applications under the scheme will be considered in two sets of circumstances. These are:
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- (1) where a crofter has acquired the original croft house and the tenancy of the rest of the croft (still owned by the landlord) has passed by assignation or otherwise to a member of the crofter's family or, where the former crofter was aged or infirm, to any named individual whether a member of the family or not;
- (2) where the croft could not be satisfactorily cultivated without the provision of a new dwellinghouse and it would benefit the township if a new house were provided to enable the crofter to reside on the croft.
However, assistance will not generally be made available where the former croft house has been detached from the croft so that it might be sold, where the crofter is already adequately housed within 16 kilometres of the croft, or where a crofter has acquired the ownership of a croft and as landlord has arranged to let part of the croft (exclusive of the croft house) to a member of his family on crofting tenure.