§ Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknishasked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the amount of council housing debt of each local authority in Scotland. [HL369]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Scottish Office (Lord Sewel)The table below gives estimates of the council housing debt of each local authority in Scotland, as at 1 April 1998.
Authority Debt (£) Aberdeen City 134,682,000 Aberdeenshire 150,821,000 Angus 34,655,914 Argyll & Bute 53,594,327 Clackmannanshire 26,589,900 Comhairle nan Eilean Siar 44,629,236 Dumfries & Galloway 107,598,933 Dundee City 117,916,400 East Ayrshire 83,426,996 East Dunbartonshire 45,574,000 East Lothian 43,554,000 East Renfrewshire 25,643,300 Edinburgh City 283,591,341 Falkirk 90,976,000 Fife 208,240,991 Glasgow City 914,638,203 Highland 222,559,000 Inverclyde 97,559,900 Midlothian 25,138,104 Moray 50,066,031 North Ayrshire 86,772,000 North Lanarkshire 231,658,606 Orkney Islands 4,769,000 Perth & Kinross 47,759,926 Renfrewshire 143,943,035 Scottish Borders 69,226,695 Shetland Islands 60,157,961 South Ayrshire 60,397,134 South Lanarkshire 230,800,643 Stirling 45,625,903 West Dunbartonshire 92,236,590 West Lothian 69,886,114 Scotland 3,904,689,183
§ Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknishasked Her Majesty's Government:
What would be the total cost of writing off all council housing debt for local authorities in Scotland; and what impact this would have on Government borrowing and on the taxpayer. [HL370]
§ Lord SewelAn estimate of the cost of redeeming such debt could only be made at disproportionate cost since it would require detailed discussions with all authorities about their debt portfolios.