HC Deb 11 February 1991 vol 185 cc360-3W
Mr. Kirkwood

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what consideration is being given to undertaking a ministerial review of the long-term consequences of the right to buy provision in Scotland.

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton

The Scottish Office is to conduct a new research study to evaluate the impact of the right to buy. The study will be carried out over an 18-month period and will update previous research carried out into this subject. We will consider any policy implications of the findings in due course.

Mr. Kirkwood

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what is the current percentage rate of disposal of public sector tenancies to owner-occupation under the right-to-buy provisions shown by each local authority housing area in Scotland;

(2) how many properties have been sold in Scotland under the right-to-buy provisions, shown by each local authority housing area in Scotland, indicating the percentage of the public sector stock tenancies remaining under management of each housing authority.

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton

The table gives details of sales made under the right-to-buy legislation. The second column shows the percentage of stock sold since October 1980, and the third column shows the component of that percentage represented by sales in 1990. Information is not held centrally about the management arrangements for public sector stock.

Number of sales October 1980 to September 1990 Percentage of stock at 30 September1980 sold of which in 1990
Annandale and Eskdale1 1,284 25.0 1.9
Nithsdale 2,138 24.6 1.9
Stewartry 745 28.7 1.7
Wigtown 1,103 23.1 1.7
Fife
Dunfermline 5,945 25.5 2.3
Kirkcaldy 5,852 22.2 2.2
North East Fife 2,703 33.5 1.8
Grampian
Aberdeen 5,358 13.8 1.8
Banff and Buchan 2,859 22.3 1.6
Gordon 1,529 25.0 1.4
Kincardine and Deeside 788 21.6 1.3
Moray 2,839 25.9 2.1
Highland
Badenoch and Strathspey 415 38.1 5.3
Caithness 847 19.6 0.9
Inverness 1,497 21.0 2.3
Lochaber 752 21.5 2.3
Nairn 260 23.4 2.0
Ross and Cromarty 901 14.2 1.4
Skye and Lochalsh 182 24.9 2.1
Sutherland 272 15.7 0.8
Lothian
East Lothian 4,043 24.8 2.4
Edinburgh 11,951 21.2 3.6
Midlothian 3,384 25.6 2.6
West Lothian 3,588 16.2 2.1
Strathclyde
Argyll and Bute 1,379 16.4 2.4
Bearsden and Milngavie 280 15.3 1.9
Clydebank 2,086 17.6 4.2
Clydesdale 1,361 14.0 1.7
Cumbernauld and Kilsyth 814 18.5 2.6
Cumnock and Doon Valley2 1,353 13.1 1.5
Cunninghame 3,821 16.7 2.5
Dumbarton 1,619 12.3 2.0
East Kilbride2 442 27.2 1.4
Eastwood 503 25.2 2.4
Glasgow 16,939 9.7 2.5
Hamilton 3,996 17.4 3.2
Inverclyde 2,024 10.2 1.2
Kilmarnock and Loudoun 2,704 14.8 1.6
Kyle and Carrick 4,339 24.0 3.1
Monklands 3,577 12.5 2.8
Motherwell 4,171 10.4 2.2
Renfrew 6,747 17.1 2.2
Stratkelvin 2,505 22.7 2.1
Tayside
Angus 3,101 21.3 2.5
Dundee 5,785 14.4 4.2
Perth and Kinross 3,884 23.7 3.2
Islands Councils
Orkney Islands 396 26.2 2.2
Shetland Islands 402 16.1 1.2
Western Isles 653 26.4 0.9
New Town
Cumbernauld3 0 0.0 0.0
East Kilbride 7,927 44.1 4.2
Glenrothes 3,627 39.6 3.1
Irvine 1,370 31.1 4.7
Livingston 3,505 32.6 5.0
SCOTTISH HOMES (SSHA)4 31,976 34.4 2.4

1 Return outstanding for quarter 1 1982.
2 Returns outstanding for quarter 3 1990.
3 All sales have been voluntary sales.
4 Includes voluntary sales.

Mr. Kirkwood

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the level of public sector tenanted housing stock below which the provisions of the right to buy would make sensible local authority strategic management of housing impossible to achieve.

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton

No such level has been set.