§ 24. Mr. BRIDGEMANasked the President of the Local Government Board if the conditions have been decided upon which the new building Grants are to be made, and if they have been circulated to the relief committees in the country?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELAdvances under the Housing Act (No. 2) Act of this Session are to be made to local authorities and authorised societies. I have issued a Circular to all the local authorities explaining the position. The Circular is included in the White Paper on Prevention and Relief of Distress, copies of which have been sent to the local representative committees.
§ 26. Sir WALTER ESSEXasked the President of the Local Government Board whether under the provisions of recent rural housing legislation his Department have passed schemes for the erection of 877 cottages in the Highworth district of Wiltshire to provide for the needs of the locality, and especially for the housing of certain labourers presently to be evicted for participation in a recent strike for higher wages?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELOn the 31st March last the Local Government Board sanctioned loans amounting to £785 for the purchase of land and the erection of four cottages by the Highworth Rural District Council at Liddington. I understand that the council have also been considering the question of erecting houses for persons of the working class in the parishes of High-worth and Wroughton. I wrote yesterday to make further inquiry.
§ Mr. PETODoes the right hon. Gentleman agree that the latter part of the question states the fact correctly, and would the President of the Local Government Board bear in mind that Michaelmas Day is approaching which is a time when agricultural labourers change from one employment to another, and consequently there is no possibility in the present circumstances of any labourers being destitute of cottage accommodation?
§ Mr. HERBERT SAMUELI have no information as to the facts stated.