§ 22. Mr. Nigel GriffithsTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to improve the quality of Scotland's housing stock. [56125]
§ Mr. MacdonaldAlmost £500 million of public money has been allocated for housing in Scotland in 1998/99 and an additional £300 million has been made available over the next three years linked, in particular, to the development of the New Housing Partnership initiative. These resources, together with the private finance which they will attract will provide new and improved stock in all housing tenures across Scotland. We are also improving housing quality by investing in home energy efficiency, linked to the New Deal, by the introduction of barrier free standards in new housing funded by Scottish Homes and by bringing empty houses back into use through the Empty Homes Initiative.