18. Mr. Mac Arthurasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress has been made to date by his Department's house improvement publicity campaign; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. YoungerThe campaign, which was begun on 3rd May, has elicited a most encouraging initial response from members of the public, local authorities and others. Press and television advertising, local exhibitions, and other activities will continue throughout the summer.
§ Mr. MacArthurCan my hon. Friend quantify his answer in any way? I realise the difficulty of doing so at this stage, but can he give any estimate of the number of houses in Scotland which could be improved in that way? Is his feeling that the early results of the campaign are extremely promising?
§ Mr. YoungerThe early results are very encouraging. In the few weeks that the campaign has been going on we have already had 2,000 inquiries from members of the public, and 31 local authorities have said that they are willing to hold local improvement exhibitions. All the indications are that this is a most encouraging start towards what I hope will be a major break-through in providing more homes for people in Scotland.
§ Mr. David SteelHow many mobile exhibition units are there as part of the campaign?
§ Mr. YoungerWe have some flexibility, in that there can be more than one at one time if they are relatively small, or they can be amalgamated to make a bigger exhibition display if necessary. If the hon. Gentleman has particular inquiries from his local authority, I shall be very glad to receive them.
§ Mr. GalbraithAre the houses mainly for owner-occupation or for rent?
§ Mr. YoungerThey cover all types of housing. The basic requirement is that 365 the house concerned should be improved to modern standards and then be able to provide a home for a family which would not otherwise have been provided.