To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what safeguards he proposes under the provisions of the Housing Bill for disabled and housebound tenants of local authority properties, to vote in any possible ballot concerning proposed change in the ownership of such properties; and whether, in the event of such tenants being unable to vote, they will have been deemed to have given their assent to the proposed change in ownership.
My right hon. Friend intends to provide in regulations made under clause 95 of the Housing Bill that tenants consulted on a proposal for transfer under tenants' choice should, if they wish, be able to vote by post. We intend as far as possible to ensure that
| Annual Average Percentage Increases in House Prices | ||||||||||||
| Year | Northern | Yorks and Humberside | East Midlands | East Anglia | Greater London | South East | South West | West Midlands | North West | Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland |
| 1978 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 19 | 17 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 15 |
| 1979 | 22 | 25 | 27 | 29 | 34 | 33 | 32 | 28 | 29 | 27 | 20 | 20 |
| 1980 | 18 | 23 | 24 | 26 | 22 | 21 | 25 | 19 | 23 | 19 | 15 | 11 |
all qualifying tenants are put in a position to cast their vote, and to do so on a fully informed basis. The means by which we propose to achieve this include an informal, preliminary phase of tenant consultation to be run by the Housing Corporation; a code of practice, compliance with which would be a condition of the applicant's approval, requiring applicants to inform tenants as key points in the procedures were reached; prescribing in regulations the form in which information is put to tenants during the formal consultation under clause 95; and a requirement on both applicants and the independent tellers that they will be obliged to employ to use best endeavours to see that the material is received and its significance understood by tenants eligible to vote. Applicants would be able to proceed with an acquisition unless the number of tenants voting to continue as tenants of their existing landlord exceeded 50 per cent. of those eligible to be consulted under clause 95. No secure tenant will be obliged to change landlord under tenants' choice against his or her will.