§ 48. Mr. FIELDasked the First Lord of the Treasury whether his attention has been directed to the rent raising and threatened evictions of short-period and tenement tenants, many of them having soldiers at the front; and whether the Government will introduce an emergency measure to protect those families from disturbance and enable them to remain in their homes at reasonable rents?
§ The PRIME MINISTERNo, Sir. I would draw the hon. Member's attention to Section 1, Sub-section (4), of the Courts (Emergency Powers) Act, 1914, which was intended to deal with such cases.
§ Mr. FIELDIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that although that Act is supposed to be in operation it has really had no effect in a great many cases in preventing the evils complained of. Will that power be exercised in future?
§ The PRIME MINISTERIf the hon. Member will bring these cases to my notice, I will have the matter looked into.