§ Mr. WatsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will now take steps to make the code of guidance to the homeless persons legislation mandatory on local authorities.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonI do not think that it would be appropriate to take away the discretion of local authorities to take into account the needs and circumstances of particular cases. A mandatory code could not cover the wide range of matters dealt with in the present draft without severely fettering that discretion and reducing authorities' effectiveness.