HC Deb 28 March 1985 vol 76 cc342-4W
Dr. Godman

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many housing improvement grants have been paid in Scotland for each year from 1982 to date.

Mr. Ancram

The information requested is as follows:

Year Estimated number of grants paid
1982 24,000
1983 46,000
1984 57,000

The figures, which are based on incomplete returns, include grants paid for improvement, conversion and repair, and the provision of standard amenities.

Dr. Godman

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will provide the latest estimates for spending on housing improvement grants by each district council in Scotland for 1984–85 and 1985–86, indicating, in each case, the potential under or overspend on original estimates (a) in cash terms and (b) in percentage terms.

Mr. Ancram

Expenditure on housing improvement grants is one component of non-housing revenue account block expenditure, and will depend on how authorities choose to spend the resources allocated to them for that block. The only estimates of expenditure specifically on housing improvement grants in 1984–85 were those submitted by local authorities in January 1985 and are given in the table below. There are no other estimates with which to compare them. Estimates for 1985–86 are not available.

Authority £ million
Berwickshire 0.415
Ettrick and Lauderdale 0.450
Roxburgh 0.200
Tweeddale 0.140
Clackmannan 0.180
Falkirk 1.366
Stirling 0.530
Annandale and Eskdale 0.315
Nithsdale 0.285
Stewartry 0.381
Wigstown 0.710
Dumfermline 1.084
Kirkcaldy 1.100
North East Fife 1.322
Aberdeen 3.866
Banff and Buchan 1.400
Gordon 0.800
Kincardine and Deeside 0.450
Moray 1.000
Balenoch and Strathspey 0.210
Caithness 2.200
Inverness 0.665
Lochaber 0.126
Nairn 0.131
Ross and Cromarty 2.000
Skye and Lochalsh 0.590
Sutherland 1.000
East Lothian 0.705
Edinburgh 17.554
Midlothian 1.000
West Lothian 0.621
Argyll and Bute 4.857
Bearsden and Milngavie 0.310
Clydebank 0.700
Clydesdale 0.552
Cumbernauld and Kilsyth 0.290
Cumnock and Doon Valley 0.040

Authority £ million
Cunninghame 1.450
Dumbarton 1.099
East Kilbride 0.240
Eastwood 0.660
Glasgow 72.130
Hamilton 1.037
Inverclyde 1.885
Kilmarnock and Loudoun 0.156
Kyle and Carrick 0.763
Monklands 0.500
Motherwell 0.317
Renfrew 3.860
Strathkelvin 0.672
Angus 1.000
Dundee 5.000
Perth and Kinross 2.000
Orkney 1.500
Shetland 0.805
Western Isles 4.240

Dr. Godman

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the most recent information he has on the amount likely to be spent on housing improvement grants in Scotland and Inverclyde, respectively, during 1984–85 and 1985–86.

Mr. Ancram

The amounts estimated to be spent on housing improvement grants in Scotland and Inverclyde district during 1984–85 are £149 million and £1.885 million respectively. Estimates for 1985–86 are not available.

Dr. Godman

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is, in real and cost terms, the total estimated spending on housing improvement grants by district councils for 1984–85 and 1985–86; and how this compares with the figures for 1983–84.

Mr. Ancram

Total estimated expenditure by local authorities on housing improvement grants in 1984–85 is, in cash terms and at 1983–84 prices, £149 million and £142.6 million respectively. This compares with £181 million spent in 1983–84.

An estimate for 1985–86 is not available. Expenditure on housing improvement grants is one component of non-HRA block expenditure, and will depend on how authorities choose to spend the resources allocated to them for that block.