§ 34. Mr. Rostasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what financial grants and loans are available to home owners for thermal insulation; and how these compare with those available in France, Holland and Sweden.
§ Mr. KaufmanNo grants are available generally for thermal insulation, although my right hon. Friend will give sympathetic consideration to requests by local authorities to allow improvement grant for roof insulation where elderly or disabled owners would have difficulty in meeting the cost. Local authority powers to make loans for improving dwellings can cover the provision of thermal insulation. Various grants, loans, or tax incentives are available in the continental countries referred to in the Question, but I believe that the resources made available by Her Majesty's Government for the improvement of houses are better deployed at present in tackling the basic defects of substandard homes.