§ Mr. Andrew WelshTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the nature and content of the sample he proposes to take for the national house condition survey; what methods he will employ to ensure its accuracy; whether it will be compulsory; and what kind of refusal rate he is building into the survey.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThe Scottish national house condition survey, which will be conducted by Scottish Homes, is being designed to provide an achieved sample of 15,000 dwellings. Scottish Homes is currently investigating the most effective way to obtain a sample which is representative of all the major Scottish housing tenures and which is statistically significant down to a Scottish Homes's regional level. The survey will not be compulsory, and Scottish Homes will be taking account of likely refusal rates in their sample design.