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Council House Sales

Volume 226: debated on Monday 7 June 1993

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To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will list for each housing authority area in Scotland the number of former council houses which were purchased under the right-to-buy provisions which have been repossessed over the last five years;(2) if he will estimate the number of purchasers of former council houses which were purchased under the right-to-buy provisions who have fallen into arrears over the last five years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will commission research to establish what proportion of owner-occupiers who purchased their property under the right-to-buy provisions are finding it difficult to meet mortgage and maintenance payments.

The Scottish Office has commissioned a number of research projects since the right-to-buy legislation was introduced in 1980 and in January this year a research report "The Right to Buy in Scotland" was published. A copy is available in the Library. The report provides information on the effect of the scheme and shows that very few purchasers reported any difficulty meeting their mortgage repayments and that 70 per cent. found it easy. There are no immediate proposals for further research into the right-to-buy scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what advice is given by his Department to prospective purchasers under the right-to-buy provisions about the financial burdens involved in servicing the loans and maintenance costs involved in home ownership.

Tenants who are considering buying their homes under the right to buy scheme can obtain a copy of the Scottish Office Environment Department's information leaflet "Buy Your Home" from their landlord or directly from the Department. The leaflet explains about the costs of buying and owning and advises tenants to seek advice from a solicitor or local citizens advice bureau if they require further information.