Commentary on Sections Chapter 1 – Directions Suspending the Right to Buy and Related Rights Section 5 – Decision of the Welsh Ministers on the application
24.Section 5 applies where the Welsh Ministers are considering an application.
25.Subsection (2)(a) allows the Welsh Ministers to reject an application where the authority has not complied with a request for further information made under section 27 of the Measure. They can also reject it where the authority is required to have a housing strategy under section 87(1) of the Local Government Act 2003 but that strategy, in so far as it relates to any imbalance between demand for and supply of social housing in the authority’s area, is inadequate. Subsection (3) states when the Welsh Ministers must not make a decision based on the inadequacy of a strategy unless they have considered any statement required under section 87(2) of the Local Government Act 2003, and any other information which the Welsh Ministers consider relevant.   A statement under section 87(2) sets out the authority’s housing strategy together with other material relating to housing.
26.Subsection (4) sets out the circumstances in which the Welsh Ministers must grant the application. These are where the Welsh Ministers agree with the authority’s reasons for concluding that the housing pressure condition exists and that the proposed direction is an appropriate way to deal with it. The Welsh Ministers must be satisfied that the authority’s proposals for other action are likely to contribute to reducing the imbalance between the demand for social housing and its supply. The authority must also have consulted properly.
27.If subsection (4)(a)-(d) are not satisfied, the Welsh Ministers must reject the application.
28 The Welsh Ministers must grant or reject an application for a direction within six months from when they decided to consider the application (see section 4(4)).
29.The validity of the Welsh Ministers’ decision is not affected by a failure to comply with subsection (6).