§ 93. Mr. ANEURIN WILLIAMSasked the President of the Local Government Board how much of the sum of £4,000,000 made available on 10th August for the housing of the working classes by the Housing (No. 2) Act, 1914, has been lent by his Department for such purposes; at what rate of interest and on what conditions it has been decided to lend out of the above sum for such purposes; and what total sum has been applied for but not yet lent?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELNo part of the sum referred to has yet been lent by the Local Government Board; but recommendations have been made by the Board to the Treasury, that sums amounting to £40,044 should be advanced under the Act to three local authorities. In answer to the second part of the question, I may refer my hon. Friend to the reply given yesterday to the question put by the hon. Member for Whitehaven. Applications have been received from local authorities and other bodies with a view to advances under the Act. In many cases the applications are not at present of a definite character, but the sums foreshadowed as the cost of schemes amount, in the case of local authorities, to about £520,000, and 1132 in the case of other bodies to about £1,600,000. It is probable that a large proportion of these cases will be found to be outside the intention of the Act, as explained in Parliament, but, on the other hand, it is to be expected that a large number of other applications from local authorities for loans under Part III. of the Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1890, now under consideration, will be made the subject of applications under the Act of 1914.