§ Mr. McMasterTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what special assistance is currently available to the(a) landlords or (b) owner-occupiers of Orlit-type houses which have major structural defects; and if he will make a statement. [39200]
§ Mr. Raymond S. RobertsonIn 1984 a scheme under the Housing Defects Act 1984 was introduced to help owners of defective homes, such as the Orlit, bought from a public sector authority before 26 April 1984. The scheme, which provided for assistance by way of repurchase or reinstatement grant, ended on 30 November 1994.
Assistance for owner-occupiers remains available in the form of discretionary improvement grant from the local authority if the house has become unstable and various conditions of the grant scheme are met. Landlords are responsible for carrying out any necessary works to their own stock from within the resources available to them.