§ 28. Mr. Malcolm MacPhersonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will explain his policy regarding the building of houses, with spare-time labour only, by persons who wish to occupy these houses themselves.
§ Mr. WoodburnIn view of the improving supply of materials, I am prepared to consider favourably on their merits individual applications for building licences in this category supported by local authorities.
§ Mr. Thornton-KemsleyDoes that mean that the local authorities would be allowed to permit the building of more than one in four private enterprise houses in cases covered by the Question?
§ Mr. WoodburnThere is no allocation in Scotland of one in four for individual houses. All these houses in Scotland are granted according to the special individual merits of the case, and this is an extension of the categories so far allowed.
§ Mr. Henderson StewartIn view of the statement which the right hon. Gentleman has made, would he consider issuing again the details of how this scheme operates, so that private persons may be able to approach their local authorities?
§ Mr. WoodburnWe have not reached the point of making any great extension. This is a very limited extension, and until we are able to extend it still further we had better not say anything about it.
§ 30. Major Ramsayasked the Secretary of State for Scotland to what extent labour resources at present available in the building industry in Scotland impose a limiting factor on the construction of houses.
§ Mr. WoodburnThere are local shortages of certain tradesmen, mainly joiners and plasterers, which impede the finishing stages of some houses. Taking the programme as a whole, however, the rate at which houses are being completed is now higher than at any time since the war.
§ Major RamsayIn instances where there is no shortage of labour, would the Minister consider granting an increase of supplies and materials, so that labour resources will not be a limiting factor?
§ Mr. WoodburnIf the hon. and gallant Gentleman will let we know the particulars, I will look into them.
§ 31. Mr. McFarlaneasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the total number of new permanent houses completed by Glasgow Corporation in the three years from 1st January, 1946, to 31st December, 1948.
§ Mr. WoodburnThe number of new permanent houses completed for the Corporation in the three years referred to was 4,955.
§ Mr. McFarlaneIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that a poster has received wide display in Glasgow which places the figure very much higher than the one which he now gives?
§ Mr. WoodburnI expect that the hon. Gentleman is thinking in terms of the number of houses provided, which is in the region of 8,000 since the war, and which is nearly 17 times the number provided after the first world war in the same period.
§ Mr. McFarlaneWill not the right hon. Gentleman agree that so far as the prefabricated problem is concerned, Glasgow Corporation has no right whatever to take credit for that, in so far as it is a Government problem; and, in the second place, he will surely agree that it is misleading—
§ Mr. SpeakerThe hon. Gentleman must ask a question and not make a statement.
§ Mr. McFarlaneWill not the Minister agree that it is entirely misleading to present such a figure as against brick-built houses?
§ Mr. WoodburnI understood that the hon. Gentleman was asking for information. I have given him the information, which is satisfactory as far as it goes and a great improvement on what happened previously.