37. Mr. DOYLEasked the Minister of Health if he will say how many schemes for rehousing have been submitted by local authorities during the last six months and how many of these have been sanctioned, with the number of houses involved; how many new houses have been actually started or completed in the Metropolitan area, in urban districts, and in rural districts, respectively; and whether the difficulty, if any, is due to lack of initiative or money, or shortage of labour?
§ The MINISTER of HEALTH (Dr. Addison)I am not clear what figures my hon. Friend wishes me to give under the term "rehousing," and if he will be good enough to see me on the point I will supply him with the figures he requires. Many of the details were given on Monday in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Kingston-upon-Hull, of which I am sending him a copy. Of the 61,708 houses included in contracts already signed, in addition to the 9,768 sanctioned under the subsidy scheme, the returns on 1st June showed that 29,076 were in various stages of construction, apart from 1,500 already completed. In the greater Metropolitan area, the figures under these heads are 6,147, and outside the Metropolitan area the number is 24,429. Of the latter, 4,158 are in rural areas in connection with local authorities schemes. The number of houses completed to date is 2,605, which includes 108 completed under the subsidy scheme.