§ 40. Mr. Hannanasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has now completed his consultations with the various bodies concerning the Report of the Housing Advisory Committee on Scotland's Older Houses; whether Glasgow's problem will be considered a special case for greater Government assistance; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RossThe first round of consultations has now been completed, and I hope it will not be long before I can make a statement.
§ Mr. HannanCan my right hon. Friend indicate whether his statement may need legislation to give effect to the extra powers he will need?
§ Mr. RossI do not want to anticipate what it will contain, but it may be that we shall need legislative powers to deal adequately with this very important matter.
Mr. Edward M. TaylorIs the Secretary of State not aware that the problem is even more urgent after the storm damage? In these circumstances, will he review the shameful decision preventing the S.S.H.A. from carrying on building activities in Glasgow?
§ Mr. RossI think that the hon. Gentleman is, as usual, quite wrong about this. There will be no hold up in building within Glasgow. As he knows, the problem within Glasgow is a limitation of sites. The S.S.H.A. will still be building for Glasgow, although not within Glasgow. The storm damage itself added nothing to our knowledge of the unsatisfactory condition of many of the older houses in Glasgow, and I am sure that the hon. Gentleman himself must have known about that long before ever entering this House. He should have been pressing for his Government at that time to take action immediately.