§ 61. Lord ALEXANDER THYNNEasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is in a position to state the number of men employed on the construction of new docks and other works in the Port of London; and whether that number is likely to be increased to a material extent within the next three years?
§ Mr. BURNSI am informed by the Port of London Authority that the construction of docks and other new works in the port is being carried out under nine contracts, and that the number of men at present engaged by the several contractors is approximately 2,600. The Authority do not anticipate that this number will be increased to more than a total of 3,000 during the next three years.
§ 62. Lord A. THYNNEasked whether the four members of the Port of London Authority nominated by Government Departments, in addition to the chairman, were parties to the Port Authority's refusal to enter into a conference with the local authorities with regard to the housing of the men employed on new construction in the port; and whether the Government have requested their representatives to see that this question is sympathetically considered by the Port of London Authority?
§ Mr. BURNSI have no knowledge of the way in which individual members of the Port of London Authority may have 1109 voted on any particular matter, nor do I propose to inquire. The members of the Authority appointed by Government Departments are not delegates who act under instructions from those Departments. I may add that the Port Authority inform me that they have not been asked by any local authority to enter into a conference as to the housing of men employed on new works.
§ Lord A. THYNNEIs it not a fact that the Housing and Town-Planning Council did invite the Port Authority to a conference with the local authorities to consider this matter, that the Port Authority refused, and that the local authorities accepted; further, is it not the fact that when it was brought to their notice that 2,600 extra men were to be brought into a congested part of London, the Government took no steps to see that suitable accommodation was available?
§ Mr. BURNSThe Noble Lord is misinformed. The Port of London Authority have acted very well in this particular matter. When I was at the Local Government Board they were in frequent communication with that Department. I had the pleasure, as it was my duty, of accompanying the chairman of the Port of London Authority to housing schemes, so that they could get the best examples for proceeding with the housing obligations in this particular district.
§ Lord A. THYNNEIs it not a fact that they have done nothing so far of a practical nature, and that it was owing to their failure to do anything that the conference in which they refused to participate was summoned?
§ Mr. BURNSNo; the answer to the Noble Lord is that East Ham, which is the adjoining local authority, has not asked for any housing scheme of the Port of London Authority, and the Port of London Authority at this moment is doing everything that can be reasonably expected of an authority in that position to deal with this question.