A/HRC/25/54/Add.2 instance, the maximum discount available is 16,000 pounds, and in Northern Ireland it is 24,000 pounds, with both administrations requiring a qualifying period of five years. 41. In July 2013, the government of Scotland announced its intention to end Right to Buy for new tenants of social housing from 2017 as part of a new Housing Act that was introduced in November 2013. When deciding, ministers argued that: While the [right to buy] has provided new options for households over the last 30 years, the costs of this policy will now fall on future generations. The transfer of hundreds of thousands of properties out of the social housing sector has decreased our social housing stock and places increasing pressures on councils and housing associations. It has also had a profound and detrimental effect on some communities, with less desirable areas now even more marginalised. At the same time, many of those who exercised their right to buy have struggled to meet the costs of home ownership.54 42. In parallel to these measures, in England grant funding for social housing has been cut by about two thirds. Housing associations are having to supplement subsidies with private finance, through guarantee schemes provided by the Government (the Affordable Homes Programme). To repay the private funding, providers of affordable homes will have to increase the rents for new social tenants; rents are now allowed to reach 80 per cent of market rents. Although the Government considers the increase in the rents an incentive for landlords to invest in housing, this approach has the potential to create other problems, including reduced affordability and increased reliance on housing benefit. An associated part of the Affordable Homes Programme has an impact on security of tenure for new social tenants (or existing tenants when they move) in England: instead of a lifetime tenancy, they may be offered tenancies for as few as two years.55 43. Addressing homelessness has also been part of the history of legislation and policy in the United Kingdom. Of note, the Homelessness etc. (Scotland) Act of 2003 changed the processes through which local authorities deal with homelessness, and set a target to end the test of priority need in access to housing by the end of 2012, an approach not found elsewhere. As the Scottish Human Rights Commission notes, “this target was seen as an unprecedented commitment and has been interpreted, including by the Scottish Government itself, as a commitment to an enforceable right to housing by the end of 2012”.56 According to a project carried out by the Commission, participants were generally positive about the change brought about by the Act, despite doubts about the targets being met by the end of the year. Some challenges identified included ensuring the availability and provision of suitable accommodation for older persons and persons with disabilities. B. Welfare reform 44. The Welfare Reform Act of 2012, adopted by the Westminster Parliament as part of its fiscal austerity measures, contains measures directly affecting the right to adequate housing. Most measures apply across the United Kingdom; some do not apply in Northern Ireland. Due to the strict limit of this report only three aspects are discussed below. 45. It is crucial to underscore the context of these reforms. The already acute situation affecting middle- and low-income households is reflected in the lack of sufficient social housing and an increase in homelessness; increasing unemployment; and rising levels of in54 55 56 Scotland, “The future of Right to Buy in Scotland: consultation report” (2013), para. 3.1. Information provided by the Building and Social Housing Foundation (October 2013). Scottish Human Rights Commission, “Getting it right? Human rights in Scotland” (2012), p. 108. 11