HC Deb 10 March 1989 vol 148 cc78-9W
Mr. Allan Stewart

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has received the report of the public local inquiry held in Glasgow on 6 June 1988; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Rifkind

I received the report of the local inquiry on 21 August 1988. Having considered the report carefully, I am satisfied that the City of Glasgow district council has failed to do what is required of it by the provisions of section 1(1A)(b) of the Tenants' Rights, Etc. (Scotland) Act 1980 (as added by paragraph 1(a) of schedule 1 to the Housing (Scotland) Act 1986) and the provisions of section 75(1)(b) of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987.

It is my view that the council entered into, and induced or sought to induce its tenants to enter into, agreements purporting to restrict the tenants' statutory rights to purchase their homes, by sending a letter to certain of their tenants requiring, as a condition of any works of improvement being carried out on, or on behalf of the council to, the houses which they tenanted, that the tenants sign or execute a document undertaking not to exercise their right to buy their homes within a specified period after completion of the improvement works; and that if they did so they would repay to the council a proportion of the costs of any improvement works carried out to their houses.

Accordingly, I have now made an order under section 211 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 requiring Glasgow district council to remedy its default by 4 April 1989. The order requires the council to take steps to identify all tenants who have at any time between 7 January 1987 and 28 April 1988 been sent a letter by the council as above; to write to those tenants so identified who had not signed the declaration informing them that they are no longer required to do so; to write to those tenants who had signed the declaration advising that they are no longer bound by their undertaking; and to repay to the tenants concerned those payments which they may have made to the council in pursuance of such a declaration.

Copies of the inquiry report and of the default order have been placed in the Library of the House.