Housing and building chiefs voiced disappointment at today's Budget.

Housing and building chiefs voiced disappointment at today's Budget.

The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations said Chancellor Alistair Darling had missed an opportunity to boost housing.

Chief executive Jacqui Watt said: "The SFHA is very disappointed that the Chancellor's touted £1 billion package to boost housing did not include any significant money targeted at new build affordable housing.

"This is a huge missed opportunity to create thousands of jobs and homes in communities that desperately need them."

The Scottish Building Federation called measures to support the construction sector "far too little far too late".

Michael Levack, chief executive of the federation, said: "The new money the Chancellor announced for housing and home insulation today - none of which will benefit Scotland - is a drop in the ocean compared to the amount of spending he could have stimulated in this area on both sides of the border if he'd had the courage to cut VAT on home improvements to 5%.

"By our calculations, this could have been as much as £330 million in Scotland alone over the next 12 months - almost 10 times the boost per head of population provided by the new home insulation programme."

Scotland's chambers of commerce said there was much to praise, but also some "worrying" measures which could damage businesses.

Liz Cameron, chief executive of Scottish Chambers of Commerce, welcomed the doubling of capital allowances and some other measures.

But she said: "Less welcome is the news that fuel duty will increase by 2p in September and by 1p above inflation next April.

"This will increase the cost of transport and doing business in Scotland, particularly in our rural areas - a cost which businesses can ill afford at this time.

"Similarly the news that alcohol taxes are to rise by 2% will come as bad news to many businesses in the licensed trade, hospitality industry, tourism and food and drink sectors."

Save the Children said it was "hugely disappointed" more had not been done for children in poverty.

Douglas Hamilton, head of Save the Children in Scotland, said: "The Government's own target of halving child poverty by 2010 is no longer achievable.

"Today was their last chance to keep their promises that they made a decade ago and they have failed to do that.

"Without the £3 billion invested in family incomes that we called for in this Budget, children across Scotland will continue to grow up missing out on the very basic necessities that most children take for granted."