§ Mr. Welshasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what the cost would be, at current prices, of bringing all Scottish houses up to the minimum tolerable standard.
§ Mr. William RossThis information is not available. The number of houses which can be improved instead of demolished and replaced can only be determined locally at the appropriate time, and the cost of improvement will vary according to the amount of work necessary to each house.
§ Mr. Welshasked the Secretary of State for Scotland, if current house building rates are continued, how long it will take to bring all Scottish houses up to the minimum tolerable standard.
§ Mr. William RossThis will depend on a variety of factors obtaining in different areas, but I regard it as a priority task for the new Scottish housing authorities to deal with substandard houses, by improvement or demolition, as quickly as possible.