§ Mr. WatsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he intends to take to ensure that no one has to sleep rough in Scotland; and whether he plans to make resources available in Scotland which are comparable to those set aside by the Department of the Environment for the rough sleepers initiative in central London.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonLocal authorities, which have the primary statutory responsibility for dealing with homelessness, should give top priority to helping roofless people. In 1991–94 we have made available around £29 million extra capital allocations earmarked for homelessness projects, many of which will help people, particularly young homeless people, who would otherwise have been roofless. We are also providing grants amounting to over £300,000 in 1994–95 for voluntary bodies who support homeless and roofless people.