§ Mr. McTaggartasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total of public expenditure on housing in Scotland in (a) 1979–80 and (b) the latest year for which figures are available; and what percentage of total public expenditure in Scotland each figure represented in each respective year.
§ Mr. AncramTotal public expenditure on housing in Scotland in 1979–80 was £734 million which amounted to 16.1 per cent. of the total public expenditure within the Secretary of State's responsibility. In 1983–84 (the latest year for which final figures are available) housing expenditure totalled £712 million, the equivalent percentage being 10.6 per cent.
The above figures are, as is usual with public expenditure, in net terms. As a measure of the resources available for spending, gross figures are more relevant. These show that capital expenditure on housing rose from £421 million in 1979–80 to £703 million in 1983–84 (a rise from 9.2 per cent. to 10.5 per cent. in the proportion of total public expenditure within the Secretary of State's responsibility).