§ Mr. John Fraserasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will (a) increase the allocation for mini-housing association grant to meet the scale of the problem of empty dwellings and (b) liberalise the eligibility criteria to allow publicly owned and housing association properties to receive grants.
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§ Sir George YoungOutturn on mini-HAG is likely to be within the £1 million allocation agreed when the Housing Corporation's programme for 1983–84 was approved, and there are no proposals for an increase. Local authorities have the means to improve their short-life properties themselves, and I have at present no plans for making them eligible for housing association grant. Properties owned by other public bodies and housing associations are already eligible in those circumstances where it is justified.