§ MR. STEVENSON (Suffolk, Eye)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for War whether the attention of the Commander-in-Chief has been drawn to the urgent necessity of remedying the sanitary conditions of the barracks and huts occupied by the troops stationed at Gibraltar; whether he is aware that in consequence of the grants of leases to private persons of Crown lands in the city of Gibraltar there is a dearth of house accommodation at reasonable rents for officers and their families stationed there, and that the military medical officers have expressed an opinion that the congested condition and overcrowded state of the quarter occupied by the civil population is dangerous to the health of the troops; and whether the Secretary of State, having regard to the public interest, will take steps in conjunction with the Colonial Office to prevent further encroachments by building speculators and syndicates upon the few remaining sites available for the erection of defence works, naval and military storehouses, 685 quarters for officers and dockyard officials, and recreation grounds for the troops.
§ * MR. WYNDHAMThe barracks at Gibraltar, though leaving much to desire, are not now insanitary. In the past five years some £26,000 has been spent on improving their sanitation. There is a scarcity of houses available for officers' quarters, and there is some overcrowding which is bad for the health of all the inhabitants, including the troops. All these points have been considered by the Committee on the condition of Gibraltar, and it has been decided that in future no Crown lands which may be required for any of the purposes stated in the question will be let on building leases.