HC Deb 18 March 1996 vol 274 cc59-61W
Mr. Donohoe

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when his Department first received reports of an adverse impact on the bids of local authorities bidding for new town housing caused by the changes in the handling of capital receipts from local authorities last year. [21060]

Lord James Duglas-Hamilton

The information requested is given in the table. Hawick locality covers the urban area and is the nearest equivalent to the small burgh that existed before 1974.

Resident population Hawick small burgh Hawick locality
1961 16,324 -
1971 16,530 16,726
1981 - 16,213
1991 - 15,812

Mr. Kirkwood

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will estimate the recent trends in population in the Hawick area of Roxburghshire since the 1991 census; and what assessment he has made of the scale of these changes relative to corresponding changes in other towns in the Borders region; [19853]

(2) what assessment he has made of the degree of statistical variation in respect of recent changes in level of population in the Hawick area of Roxburghshire; [19855]

(3) what assessment he has made of the factors underlying the recent changes in the level of population in the Hawick area of Roxburghshire. [19856]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton

In periods between censuses, population estimates are normally prepared only for local authority areas because no source provides reliable estimates of migration at small area levels. The Registrar General estimates that between mid-1991 and mid-1994, the population of Roxburgh district as a whole fell by 90 from 35,320 to 35,230. The factors underlying this change are a small set migration gain offset by an excess of deaths over births. Complete figures for Borders region and its four districts are given in the table, from which it can be seen that recent growth has mainly been in Ettrick and Lauderdale district.

Mr. Kynoch

West Lothian district council wrote to the Department on 6 December 1995. Its views, with those expressed by other parties, were carefully considered by my right hon. Friend and his decision as conveyed to the local authorities on 15 February.

Mr. Donohoe

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what considerations led his Department not to exclude the bids lodged by local authorities involved in the bidding process for the housing stock of Scotland's development corporations from the effects of his changes in the handling of capital receipts by local authorities. [21063]

Mr. Kynoch

The Government consider it important that the overall level of local authority debt in Scotland should be reduced. My right hon. Friend's decision ensures that a proportion of any receipts from ex-new town stock sold by a local authority under the right-to-buy scheme will reduce that authority's debt.

Mr. Donohoe

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what delay has been caused in the bidding process for the housing stock of Scotland's development corporations by the changes in the Scottish Office rules on the handling of capital receipts by Scottish local authorities; and when his Department decided not to exempt local authorities in the bidding process for the housing stock of Scotland's development corporations from these changes in capital receipts. [21062]

Mr. Kynoch

The transfer of the housing stocks of the development corporations is to be completed before wind-up on 31 December 1996. The decision on the treatment of local authority capital receipts will alter the time scale of the interim stages. Letters conveying my right to hon. Friend's decision not to exempt local authorities involved in the bidding process from the revised capital receipt rules were issued on 15 February 1996.

Mr. Donohoe

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make it his policy to allow the relevant existing local authorities and their successor councils to be included on the ballots for the housing stock of Irvine, Cumbernauld and Livingston development corporations. [21241]

Mr. Kynoch

The Government's policy is to admit local authorities to the ballots provided that their final bids are considered to be value for money.