asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a further statement on the steps he is taking to achieve the officially agreed figure of £10 million reduction in net housing expenditure.

I expect local authorities, in exercising their responsibility for holding a reasonable balance between tenants and ratepayers, to secure sufficient additional rent income in 1976–77 to save some £10 million in rate fund contributions. Authorities put their housing programmes at risk to the extent that income does not reach this level.