The Scottish Government is to make £100 million available to help social landlords buy up unsold homes and land.

The money is part of the £591 million set aside for 2010-11 in the government's £1.5 billion affordable housing investment programme. It will be brought forward for this year and next to get the country's stalled housing machine moving again.

An action plan published this week contains plans on how the government will re-jiggle its housing policy in response to the economic crisis.

The document also includes a strategy for a £25 million homeowners support fund for the next two years, giving struggling homeowners the opportunity to retain ownership of their home on a shared equity basis.

The number of housing starts in Scotland fell by almost half in the second quarter of this year, compared to the same period in 2007.