HC Deb 20 December 1994 vol 251 cc1061-2W
Mr. Raymond S. Robertson

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is now in a position to respond to the recommendations of the committee of inquiry into housing in Scotland for people with physical disabilities.

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton

I have written to Lord Ewing of Kirkford, welcoming the Ewing committee's report as a valuable contribution to the debate on housing in Scotland for disabled people, and setting out the Scottish Office's formal response to the committee's recommendations. The response is being placed in the Commons and Lords Libraries, and will be sent to all MPs sitting for Scottish constituencies, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, housing authorities, Scottish Homes and interested voluntary bodies, and the media. The main points of the response are as follows:

The Scottish Office will consult over 300 organisations early in the new year on amendments to building regulations governing access to new dwellings, including costs. This consultation paper will build on the comments received earlier this year on the topics to be covered in the amendments. New regulations have already been made on access to non-domestic buildings.

Scottish Homes has been asked to review the Scottish housing handbooks on housing for disabled people, and for elderly people. These will take account of barrier-free housing, which Scottish Homes is already encouraging.

Over £2.8 billion will be made available for housing investment over the next three years and there have been substantial increases in provision of specialist housing for physically disabled people since 1979.

Community care, including provision for physically disabled people, is now one of only four national priorities which housing authorities have been asked to address in their housing plans and output targets. It is also a priority for Scottish Homes, including grants to the voluntary and private sectors, and the care and repair scheme which helps disabled and elderly people to carry out repairs and adaptations to enable them to remain in their own home.

More generally, the circular entitled "Community Care—The Housing Dimension", which was issued by the Scottish Office on 9 August, emphasised the importance of co-operation between housing, social work and health bodies in planning, assessment of need, and housing management for physically disabled people and other community care client groups. This guidance and the introduction of housing plans and housing management plans, encompass and go beyond the committee's recommendations on co-ordination of provision for disabled people by housing authorities. The circular also sets out the respective responsibilities of health, social work and housing for adaptations, aids and equipment.

It is not possible to give absolute housing rights to disabled people, since their needs have to be considered in the light of costs, available resources and the priorities given to other groups. However, we will take account of their needs and aspirations in our plans, and will continue to support important particular rights, such as the right to be consulted on individual community care assessments. Scottish Homes is preparing a policy statement on housing action for disabled people which we hope will serve as an example for other providers.

Finally, we recognise the importance of information and advice for disabled people on housing issues. Scottish Homes' Homepoint has made grants of about £17,000 for the disabled persons housing service and for a handbook on disabled persons' housing rights being produced by the Margaret Blackwood housing association.