§ Mr. DunnachieTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will take steps to assist district council tenants and former district council tenants now owner-occupiers who are unable to buy, or sell, their homes because they have been classified by building societies as being sub-standard; and if he will make a statement.
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 18 January 1991]: The Government make available resources 85W to local authorities to assist private owners of houses designated as defective under part XIV of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 as amended by the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 and sold by a public sector authority before a cut-off date specified in the designation. Assistance is available towards the repair, demolition and rebuilding, or repurchase by the local authority of the defective house in these cases.
As regards other houses, council tenants who wish to purchase their houses should satisfy themselves in the first instance that the risks they are taking are acceptable, seeking professional advice if necessary. It is for building societies or other financial institutions advancing loans towards the purchase of properties to make decisions on whether to provide finance for any purchase and it would not be appropriate for the Government to intervene in such decisions.
The Government also make substantial resources available to local authorities for them to provide grants for the improvement and repair of private housing. The provisional allocations to local authorities for the non-housing revenue account block in 1991–92 announced on 20 December total over £105 million.