§ 68. Mr. SpellerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment upon what dates(a) the consultative documents on right to buy, deregulation of the private rented sector, housing action trusts, tenants' choice and home improvement policy were despatched to North Devon district council and (b) replies were required; and what length of time he treats as a resonable minimum for a local authority to receive, distribute, consider, discuss and provide reasoned comment on such papers.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe table provides the information requested about each of the consultation and explanation documents.
Issued Comments invited by Right to buy 2 October 30 October Deregulation of the Private Rented Sector 2 October 30 October Housing Action Trusts 8 October 6 November Tenants' Choice 2 November 4 December Home Improvement Policy 5 November 4 January 1988 In issuing these documents we thought it sensible to give respondents an indication as to when their comments would be most useful, as clearly the earlier the comments are made, the more helpful they are in developing policy. However, nothing absolute was intended about the target dates set for responses and all comments that we receive are being carefully considered. I am grateful to North Devon district council for the helpful comments it submitted on four of these documents.
It is not possible to generalise about the timetable for submitting comments on any other consultation and explanatory documents, since this will inevitably vary depending on the particular circumstances.