§ Mr. James Whiteasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what adjustments he is proposing to make in the provisional capital expenditure allocations intimated to local authorities for housing in 1978–79.
§ Mr. MillanProvisional allocations amounting to £207 million, based on November 1977 prices, were given to local authorities at the end of January. I am increasing these to £218 million and, after updating to 1978–79 prices, this will enable local authorities to spend £233 million on housing in the current financial year. This expenditure provision will permit a modest increase by authorities collectively over their present rate of spending in real terms, which in 1977–78 is estimated to have been about £211 million.
I am anxious to encourage the desire of local authorities to develop their housing programmes to meet outstanding housing needs, but the experience of recent years has been that authorities have consistently fallen well below their own spending targets on housing. In the circumstances, although the programmes which local authorities have submitted would involve expenditure substantially in excess of the sums available, I have decided to authorise authorities to proceed with their planned programmes and am prepared to look at the position of any local authority which has special difficulties in going ahead with necessary housing developments within its housing revenue account capital allocations.