§ Mr. WallaceTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) whether he will publish in theOfficial Report a copy of the letter sent by the chairman of the Scottish Special Housing Association to him dated 20 April regarding the association's housing stock in Shetland:
(2) whether he has received a formal request from the chairman of the Scottish Special Housing Association for consent to the transfer to Shetland islands council of 55 of the association's houses in Shetland.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThe chairman of the Scottish Special Housing Association, Mr. Derek Mason, wrote to my right hon. and learned Friend on 20 April about the future ownership of the association's houses in Shetland, in the light of representations which had been made by a number of tenants, and I have replied to Mr. Mason's letter. It is not normal practice to publish correspondence between Government Ministers and chairmen of non-departmental public bodies.
As the hon. Member is aware, the original proposal put forward by the SSHA for the future of their housing stock in Shetland involved complete withdrawal from ownership. Tenants were offered the option of having their houses transferred into the ownership of Hjaltland housing association. If a majority of tenants had wished to pursue that option, the SSHA wished to be able to offer the remaining minority of tenants the option of having their houses transferred into the ownership of Shetland islands council.
600WCircumstances have changed. In the light of their tenants' views, the SSHA no longer plans complete withdrawal from Shetland. The question of sales to the islands council to facilitate that withdrawal no longer arises therefore. I understand that Mr. Mason is writing to all the association's tenants in Shetland, informing them of the position and explaining the background.