asked the Secretary of State for Scotland why the original dispensation that allowed the Forestry Commission to build houses for its own employees has been withdrawn; and whether the onus of replacing temporary Forestry Commission houses will fall upon the local authorities when these houses become due for replacement.

The Forestry Commission is not prohibited from building houses for its own employees. The Commission is not, however, a housing authority and normally looks to the local authorities to provide houses for its industrial staff.