§ Lord James Douglas-Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland when a circular on Orlit housing and defective housing will be issued to all housing authorities in Scotland about the Housing Defects Act and the scheme of assistance for owners of prefabricated reinforced concrete dwellings; and if he will consider issuing similar guidance in relation to Orlit and defective housing in the public sector.
§ Mr. AncramThe circular on the scheme of assistance under the Housing Defects Act 1984 was issued to local authorities on 21 November 1984. A copy is available in the Library of the House.
428WThe Government have no plans to issue specific guidance to local authorities regarding their own stocks of Orlit and other defective houses that come within the scope of the Housing Defects Act. Useful and detailed guidance of specific house types, including Orlits, is already available in the form of reports published by the Building Research Establishment. Authorities themselves are best placed to assess the local situation and needs; it is for them to decide what action, in any, may be necessary and then, if appropriate, to programme realistically phased works according to the resources available.