§ Mr. PatchettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will discuss with the local authority associations a joint programme of home heating insulation and make the necessary finance available.
§ Mr. TrippierThe local authority associations are consulted each year on the method of distributing capital allocations for housing to individual local authorities. In setting allocations, the Department takes into account authorities' own assessments of needs, including that for insulation and heating. A specific sum is currently set aside to finance grants under the homes insulation scheme, but it is otherwise for authorities to determine their own investment priorities for insulation within the total resources available.