Vol. 421 No. 4
37 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for the Environment his views on whether the re-introduction of incentives to improve houses would have significant benefits in terms of the national housing stock and jobs; and if he will provide these incentives to replace the scheme abolished in 1987.
I am satisfied that the reintroduction of the kind of house improvement grants scheme that operated between 1985 and 1987 would not, in the final analysis, be beneficial to employment or, indeed, to the economy as a whole. That scheme was in operation for less than two years and cost the tax payer over £200 million but still failed to halt the decline in employment in the construction industry in those years.
