§ Mr. Ron BrownTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has received recent representations from the Bield housing association regarding the level of public funding; and if he will make a statement.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonMr. Alister Green, director of Bield Housing Association Ltd., wrote to me on 16 December, enclosing a copy of his association's annual report. He made particular reference to the level of funding for the provision of housing for the elderly.
Future provision of housing for the elderly within the public sector must be considered in the context of progress already made since 1979. In many districts provision now exceeds the widely used yardstick of 50 bed spaces per 1,000 elderly.
Officials from my Department are currently conducting research aimed at reassessing the requirement for specialised housing for the elderly. The results of that research will be fully taken into account in considering the future allocation of funds.