§ Mr. McMasterTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the scope of his announcement that local authorities will now be able to bid for Scottish Homes properties which were earmarked for transfer. [9252]
§ Mr. Raymond S. RobertsonThe Convention of Scottish Local Authorities proposal that local authorities should be able to bid more widely for Scottish Homes802W stock was included in the consultation paper, "Devolution of Power to Councils", which was issued on 29 December and is currently the subject of consultation. Until a decision is taken following the responses to the consultation exercise, the current policy will continue to be applied.