asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent on home improvement grants last year in the south region Northern Ireland Housing Executive; and what plans he has to increase the amount available to first time buyers.

In the last year some £8,980,934 was spent on home improvement grants in the Northern Ireland Housing Executive's south region.The availability of home improvement grant is essentially related to the property and its condition and, whilst there is additional assistance available to low income households who qualify on the financial hardship grounds, I have no plans to provide any additional assistance for first-time buyers.