The First Minister has defended a scheme to help people get on the housing ladder after a trade body warned it could be slashed in half.

Homes for Scotland contrasted the UK Government's approach to help-to-buy with that north of the border, which it said was facing budget reductions of up to 50%.

Chancellor George Osborne promised 400,000 new homes and an extension of the help-to-buy scheme in England in his Autumn Statement.

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson called on Nicola Sturgeon to reverse "cuts" to the Scottish scheme as she criticised the record of the SNP administration on housing at First Minister's Questions.

She said: "The truth of the matter is this, the number of new homes built each year is down 40% from the time the SNP took office, 10,000 fewer homes built in Scotland.

"And we know now that her ministers are about to half the help-to-buy scheme in Scotland, ripping £65 million of help away from first-time buyers.

"In short this SNP Government is slashing support for home-building and it's slashing support for home buying."

Ms Sturgeon said: "What an utter cheek, what an utter cheek for a Scottish Conservative to stand in this chamber the day after George Osborne's cuts to this parliament's budget were announced and utter the words cuts, it's absolutely unbelievable."

She said the Scottish Government had "consistently supported" help-to-buy and would continue to do so, alongside a pledge to build 50,000 affordable homes in the next session of parliament if re-elected.

The First Minister said that in contrast to her Government, the UK Government had no commitment to build new social rented homes.

"That says everything about the Tories, they are not interested in helping the poorest and the vulnerable in our society, all they're interested in doing is harming them even further."

She added: "We have helped thousands of people into home ownership through our help-to-buy scheme, through our shared equity scheme, and we will continue to provide that help."