§ 13. Sir Russell JohnstonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals he has for the alleviation of homelessness in Scotland.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonTo help Scottish local authorities carry out their statutory duties towards the homeless, we have among other things made available in the current financial year extra capital allocations of £3.5 million announced earlier, and of £4.1 million, the specific allocation of which will be announced tomorrow. We have increased housing support grant so that all local authorities that incur a deficit in running a hostel will qualify for grant. We have issued an updated code of guidance for authorities dealing with applicants under the homelessness legislation. On 6 December, I announced a further £7.5 million capital allocation for projects for 1992–93.
§ Sir Russell JohnstonRegarding the £4 million, is not telling local authorities that they have to produce schemes within two weeks and that the money has to be spent by March a disorderly way of doing things? If £4 million is divided by the number of district authorities in Scotland, they will have £355,000 apiece. That is a pathetic response to the size of the problem, which is extremely serious in my area.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThe hon. Gentleman's own authority in Inverness will be one of those that will benefit. Authorities that feel that they have not benefited sufficiently will be considered for the £7.5 million allocation for next year. I ask the hon. Gentleman to bear in mind all the other sources of public funds that are available. Scottish Homes has brought back into use 1,000 units that it has helped to create in the past two years. Our revised code of guidance has been warmly welcomed by authorities. [Interruption.]
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. It is very gratifying to see such an interest in Scottish questions. I ask hon. Members to listen carefully to the questions and answers because they will find them enlightening.
§ Mr. McFallThe Minister will remember that the Stopover project in my constituency, which was designed to allow 16 young homeless people to stay in the area, was rejected by the Scottish Office last year. Only last month, my council applied for extra funding for another eight young people to be retained in the constituency rather than making the futile trek southwards. Those positive initiatives have the support of the entire council. Will the Minister respond positively by stating that he will grant both applications to allow that small number of people to be retained in my constituency? That would help the problem of homelessness in Dumbarton.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonI can tell the hon. Gentleman that his local authority of Dumbarton will benefit. The details will be spelt out tomorrow. I can also tell him that urban aid of £9.7 million has been made available over the years for homelessness projects in Scotland. That comes within the responsibility of my fellow Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Eastwood (Mr. Stewart), who will have heard what the hon. Gentleman said about further applications.