Social housing plays a vital part in providing a secure, sustainable alternative to owner-occupation. In October 2007 the Scottish Government's consultation paper, Firm Foundations: the future of housing in Scotland, included proposals to protect supply by ending the right to buy on newly-built social housing. And it outlined proposals to modernise the way social housing is regulated to safeguard and promote the interests of tenants, now and for the future.
In September 2008 Moving Scotland Forward: the Government's programme for legislation 2008-09 confirmed that the Scottish Government would consult in 2009 on a draft Housing Bill that would end the right to buy on new social housing and modernise the powers of the Scottish Housing Regulator. The consultation has been completed and the responses to it are available. The Scottish Government will publish a report on the outcome in October 2009. The Bill will be introduced to Parliament next year.