§ 6. Mr. HoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what he is doing to discourage young Scottish homeless from leaving home and living rough in London.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonGrants totalling £150,000 over three years are being made to voluntary organisations for projects aimed at dissuading young Scots from drifting to London without making adequate preparation for housing and employment, assisting those in London who want to return to Scotland and supporting the young homeless in Scottish cities. Moreover, tomorrow I shall announce extra capital allocations of £4.137 million for specific projects for homelessness throughout Scotland, and Clydesdale will be one of the 29 authorities.
§ Mr. HoodI thank the Minister for his answer. He will be aware that last night, thousands of young Scots slept rough on the streets of London and he may also be aware of the recent statement by the Moderator of the Church of Scotland, who referred to the fact that 25 per cent. of the homeless in London come from Scotland. Is not it a blight on Scotland that we cannot provide homes for our homeless, including those who are still kids? I am pleased to hear that the Minister will announce an increase tomorrow, but £1.2 million will not even look at the problem. Why does not he address the problem seriously and put real money into solving it—or will he continue to opt out and sell out, just as the Prime Minister did for the country in Maastricht yesterday?
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonWhen we made available the special allocation of £3.5 million earlier in the year, eight authorities in Scotland came forward with specific projects that resulted in 700 extra housing units being made available. For that reason, we wish greatly to expand the programme and are doing so. If any authorities do not succeed tomorrow, they may still be considered for a share of the extra allocation of £7.5 million next year.The £50,000 awarded to voluntary organisations is specifically for the purpose of preventing homelessness and dissuading young people from coming to London when they have neither housing nor jobs.
§ Mr. MaxtonIs not the Minister's attitude smugly complacent in view of the fact that the Shelter survey shows an over 100 per cent. increase in homelessness in Scotland since 1983 and his Scottish office survey shows a 14 per cent. increase last year alone? Although the £4.1 million may be welcome to homeless people in Scotland, the Secretary of State for Scotland announced a £63 million cut in housing generally in Scotland last year and that does nothing to solve the problems of homelessness. Will he now announce an increase in investment in housing in Scotland and, more particularly, persuade the Cabinet to restore benefit to 16 and 17-year-olds in Scotland immediately?
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonFirst, no young person should be without income. As to housing allocations, the hon. Member must bear in mind the fact that the receipts 847 are well up this year, so the gross programme should be considerable. However, there are 26,000 empty council houses, a considerable portion of which could be brought back into use. Local authorities take their statutory responsibilities seriously, so that in 1990–91, 82 per cent. of those assessed as homeless were found permanent accommodation by local authorities. We are giving them maximum encouragement in this direction.