HC Deb 29 October 1981 vol 10 cc426-7W

Mr. Pawsey asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many local authority houses have been sold under the right-to-buy legislation; and what are the similar figures for houses owned by housing associations.

Mr. Stanley:

To the end of June an estimated 12,700 sales were completed by local authorities and new towns in England and Wales under the right to buy provisions of the Housing Act 1980. Complete figures for right to buy sales by housing associations will not be known until associations annual returns for 1981–82 are available.

Mr. Wilkinson asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many council houses have been sold under the right-to&-buy provisions of the Housing Act 1980.

Mr. Stanley:

To the end of June an estimated 12,700 sales were completed by local authorities and new towns in England and Wales under the right-to-buy provisions of the Housing Act 1980.

Mr. Michael McNair-Wilson asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will change the rules governing the discounts which may be offered by local authorities to sitting tenants whose homes were acquired from other public sector bodies.

Mr. Stanley:

Yes. There are a number of local authority tenants whose homes were acquired from public bodies such as Government Departments, nationalised industries and statutory undertakers. Under the general consent dated 12 June 1981 for the sale of dwellings at the discretion of local authorities, only periods of tenancy since acquisition of the dwellings by the authority can count for discount purposes. We shall now be prepared, on application, to give authorities special consent to count for discount purposes the period which the purchaser of the dwelling spent in the same dwelling whilst a tenant of the previous public sector landlord, Similar consents will be available to new town development corporations.

It will be for local authorities and new towns to decide whether they are prepared to grant the additional discounts. There is no change in the statutory discount entitlement of tenants with the right to buy, although these tenants can benefit if the landlord so chooses. We shall be notifying all local authorities and new towns individually of this decision.

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