Welcoming the passing of the Housing (Scotland) Bill this evening in the Scottish Parliament SNP MSP Bob Doris – the Deputy Convener of the Local Government and Communities Committee – said it was righting many of the wrongs of the Thatcher years and was the pinnacle of a series of achievements for the SNP Government in putting social housing at the heart of its agenda for a better Scotland.

As well as the Bill which ends the right to buy the SNP have:

• Invested a record £675 million invested in affordable housing in 2009-10, and 8,663 affordable homes approved, a record
• Allocated £80 million to 23 local authorities to support the construction of 3,300 new council homes
• Seen over 1,300 council houses started in the past three years, more than twice the number in the previous eleven years combined
• Made second stage transfer in Glasgow a reality

Commenting Mr Doris said: “In such difficult economic times with tightening finances I am proud at the achievements of this SNP Government in delivering better conditions for the expansion of social housing.

"The thousands of new council homes contrast with the feeble efforts of the previous Executive who managed to build just six in the whole of Scotland during their four year term.

“Today’s bill restores the ability of councils to invest in housing for the long term and ends the destruction of council housing begun by Mrs Thatcher’s right to buy.

“After all the years of little investment in council housing and the private market rocketing out of the reach of young families, I am delighted that we can now see a future with proper modern council houses available to rent.

“We will never be complacent on housing and as we work to make Scotland better we are already working on ways supporting housing in the future."