Scotsman Archive

Scotland is to have a considerably increased allocation of houses in the building programme for the coming year. Lower costs have apparently made this possible, despite the cut in Government finance announced in the Economic Survey. The new allocation provides for the building of a total of 25,500 houses in Scotland, compared with 19,000 last year. Private building – limited to certain priority classes of persons most in need of houses – is to be permitted up to 10 per cent of the total allocations. That means that more than 2,000 licences may be issued for privately built houses. Mr Hector McNeil, Secretary of State for Scotland, made both these announcements today, the one regarding private building in a written reply to a Commons question, the other about the increased allocation at a press conference at the Scottish Office. He was answering a question in the House of Commons put forward by Mr John Forman, (Labour, Springburn).

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