HC Deb 10 February 1986 vol 91 cc343-4W
Mr. Dewar

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of local authority revenue budget has been made up of housing support grant in each of the last six years for which figures are available.

Mr. Rifkind

For each year since 1980–81, the percentage of district and islands councils' housing revenue account budgets made up of housing support grant is as follows:

Per cent.
1980–81 37
1981–82 25
1982–83 16
1983–84 11
1984–85 9
1985–86 7

Sources:

1980–81—1984–85. Local authority returns to Scottish Development Department.

1985–86—Rating Review (August 1985), published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, Scottish Branch.

Mr. Dewar

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of total housing resource allowance paid to Scottish local authorities in each of the last six years for which figures are available was paid in the form of housing support grant.

Mr. Rifkind

In addition to housing support grant, central government payments to local authorities for housing purposes include Exchequer contributions towards improvement and repair grants and environmental improvements, payments to match local authorities' expenditure on homes insulation grants, and grants for the provision of sites for travelling people. The following table shows housing support grant as a percentage of these total payments.

Per cent.
1980–81 93.9
1981–82 90.0
1982–83 82.8
1983–84 63.8
1984–85 55.0
1985–86* 49.5

* Figure for 1985–86 is an estimate and includes housing support grant payable to authorities in terms of the Housing Support Grant (Scotland) Variation Order 1986, laid before the House on 13 January 1986.

Mr. Dewar

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many homes in Scotland were defined as being in sub-tolerable standard in (a) at the most recent date for which figures are available, (b) in 1966 and (c) in 1976.

Mr. Rifkind

Estimates based on local authority returns of the numbers of dwellings in Scotland below the tolerable standard in 1968, 1976 and 1985 are shown in the table. Figures for 1966 are not available.

Estimates number of dwellings below the tolerable standard
Year Number
December 1968 250,000
December 1976 156,000
March 1985 63,000