HOUSING associations are set to be brought under the scope of Freedom of Information laws for the first time after ministers launched a shock U-turn.

It comes less than five months after the Scottish Government appeared to rule out the move.

It had published a document explicitly stating that it did not believe the legislation, which obliges public organisations to provide certain information to the public on request, should apply registered social landlords.

However, the SNP has apparently relented to pressure from transparency campaigners and quietly announced that a consultation is set to take place with operators "with a view to extending coverage of FOI legislation" to registered social landlords.

Earlier this year, the Government said it was "not currently persuaded of the merits of extending coverage to housing associations" despite Rosemary Agnew, the country's Information Commissioner, calling for the move.

It is understood that Ms Agnew has continued to exert pressure on the Government, responding to a consultation proposing to extend the law in other areas by again pushing for the law to apply to housing associations and citing evidence that almost 80 per cent of the public backed the move.

Currently, the law means that tenants in council housing can currently ask for information on various issues including the quality or timeliness of repairs and background to decisions on rent levels, however those in housing association properties cannot. The transfer of housing stock from councils to housing associations has meant the right has been stripped from tens of thousands of tenants since FoI was introduced.

Campaigners have also lodged a public petition at Holyrood to persuade MSPs of the case of extending the law, saying it would ensure that housing associations are more open, transparent and accountable to tenants and factored homeowners.

However, while some organisations, most notably The Wheatley Group which includes social landlord Glasgow Housing Association, have become huge in scale, concerns have been raised that smaller organisations may struggle to cope with the burden of a flood of requests for information.

Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations director David Bookbinder said: "We are worried about a disproportionate impact on the smaller guys, but we've always said if the wind was blowing in the direction of putting housing associations under FoI it would be hard to say 'over our dead bodies' as it looks like you've got something to hide.

"We are sanguine about it but concerned about the small operators. That's where are energies have got to be focused now."

The Scottish Government revealed its move quietly, laying a report before Holyrood and making no formal announcement. It said that it is set to take a final decision on earlier proposals to extend FoI to contractors who run privately-managed prisons, providers of secure accommodation for children, grant-aided schools and independent special schools by the end of the year.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said ministers had already stated that a review of the Scottish Social Housing Charter next year provided an opportune time to also consider issues of housing association openness and transparency.

She added: "However, Ministers acknowledge the strong views on whether housing associations should be subject to freedom of information legislation put forward during the consultation, in the petition before Parliament and by the Scottish Information Commissioner.

"Ministers have therefore decided to formally consult with the housing association sector to fully explore the range of issues involved."