Whether it will provide details of the funding through Scottish Homes in the next three financial years for the building of 18,000 new home…

As set out in last year's Programme for Government, the Executive is committed to ensuring that in its first three years 18,000 new and improved homes are built for affordable renting or low cost home ownership. Good progress has been made towards meeting this commitment with Scottish Homes currently planning to give approvals for 6,637 new and improved homes in the current year (1999-2000). The following table shows these approvals split by Scottish Homes' five regions:-Highlands and Islands | 284
North and East | 1,378
Lothian, Borders and Forth Valley | 1,284
South and West | 1,395
Glasgow and North Clyde | 2,296
I am currently discussing with Scottish Homes how it plans to deliver the remaining new and improved homes needed to meet the Programme for Government target., It is too early to say where these will be built until the outcome of Scottish Homes' assessment of needs analysis and ongoing discussions with other interested parties, including local authorities, is completed.In the current year Scottish Homes grant in aid is £282.3 million. Subject to parliamentary consideration of the Budget Bill, I expect that its grant in aid allocation for 2000-01 and 2001-02 will be £272.8 million and £264.4 million respectively.