asked the Minister for the Environment if the £5,000 grant scheme for local authority tenants/tenant purchasers covers purchasers of previously owned local authority funded houses; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

29.

asked the Minister for the Environment if the £5,000 grant will be paid to local authority tenants who purchase private second-hand houses and houses privately owned which were purchased by tenants from local authorities.

33.

asked the Minister for the Environment if he will consider the extension of the proposed £5,000 grant for house purchase to include applicants of special category status.

34.

asked the Minister for the Environment if persons living in Government owned houses, such as houses owned by ACOT, would qualify for the new £5,000 grant in the event of their vacating their homes.

I propose to take Questions No. 28, 29, 33 and 34, inclusive, together.

It is not proposed to provide for payment of the new £5,000 grant to all persons who have special category status for the purposes of local authority and HFA house purchase loans or to persons living in houses provided by bodies such as ACOT. As indicated in the national plan, the grant will apply to qualifying local authority tenants and tenant-purchasers who buy or build private houses and surrender their local authority dwellings in a condition suitable for letting to a housing applicant. A house which had previously been purchased from a local authority and which is available for resale would be accepted as a private house for the purposes of the grant.