§ 26. Mr. KnoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many council houses were sold to sitting tenants in Scotland between May 1979 and June 1983, between June 1983 and June 1987 and since June 1987.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThe numbers of dwellings sold by Scottish local authorities to sitting tenants in the periods from May 1979 to June 1983 and from July 1983 to June 1987 were 26,768 and 45,514 respectively. A further 17,828 sales in the period from July 1987 to 30 June 1988 have been reported to date.
§ 27. Mr. HaywardTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many council houses have been sold in Scotland since 1979; how many applications have been received since October 1987; and if he will make a statement.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonReturns received to date from local authorities record 90,110 sales of council houses to sitting tenants between April 1979 and June 1988. The number of applications received between October 1987 and September 1988 was 44,292. The recent and sustained surge in applications and sales, which are making a major contribution to the diversification of ownership, is further evidence of the success of the Government's right-to-buy policy.