§ Mr. SillarsTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessments he has made of the efficiency of erecting false walls as a remedy for dampness in local authority housing.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonIt is for local authorities themselves to draw up programmes for tackling dampness and condensation in their housing stock and to take account of the relevance and effectiveness of particular repair methods adopted. The Scottish Office has in recent years undertaken or commissioned research, and published the findings, relating to condensation in public authority housing and the assessment of available thermal upgrading or other remedial measures. In addition, a considerable amount of guidance on these issues has been published by other bodies including the Building Research Establishment.