§ Mr. Alfred MorrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what action he is taking to ensure a sufficient supply of wheelchair housing for people with disabilities who wish to leave residential care or to set up home on their own; and if he will make a statement.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThe Government attach high priority to the provision of all types of special needs housing. It is for housing authorities to assess local needs. Scottish Homes has been asked in determining its expenditure programme for housing associations for 1989–90 to place more emphasis on housing provision for the disabled. I am pleased to note that the number of sheltered wheelchair and wheelchair houses provided by public agencies in Scotland has increased from 636 in 1979 to 2,586 in 1988.
§ Mr. Alfred MorrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the numbers of completions of(a) wheelchair housing and (b) mobility housing by (i) local authorities, (ii) housing associations and (iii) the private sector in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThis information is not available. Information on housebuilding by user category has been collected centrally for authorities on a quarterly basis since 1986 but not for the breakdown required.