A person exercising the right to buy a dwelling-house in Wales under Part V of the Housing Act 1985 (“the Act”) may be entitled, under sections 129 to 131 of and Schedule 4 to the Act, to a discount equal to a percentage of the price before discount.

Section 131 of the Act provides limits upon the amount of discount to which the proposed purchaser is entitled and section 131(2) empowers the Secretary of State to make an Order prescribing the maximum sum by which the price payable for a dwelling house under the right to buy scheme may be reduced by discount. The powers given to the Secretary of State by section 131 of the Act are now vested in the National Assembly for Wales so far as exercisable in Wales.

Under section 131(2), the Secretary of State made the Housing (Right to Buy) (Limits on Discount) (Wales) Order 1999 (“the Principal Order”) which prescribed, amongst other matters, that this maximum discount was £24,000. This Order amends the Principal Order by providing that the maximum discount available is £16,000.