The right of council tenants to buy their homes in Scotland is due to be abolished by the Scottish Parliament.

The Conservatives will make a last-ditch attempt to block the move at Holyrood. But the government proposal is set to be backed by a large majority of MSPs.

The right to buy was brought in across the UK by Margaret Thatcher's government in 1980, with almost half a million homes being sold under the system.

Right to buy has driven-up home ownership in Scotland. But it has also contributed to an acute shortage of social housing. That is why the Scottish government has said it wanted to end the right in 2016.

Housing Minister Margaret Burgess has already told Holyrood: "With 185,000 people on waiting lists for council and housing association houses, we can no longer afford to see the social sector lose out on badly needed homes."

She added: "By ending right-to-buy in two years we will protect up to 15,500 social houses from sale over a 10-year period and safeguard social housing stock for future generations."