§ 95. Mr. RHYS DAVIESasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Overseas Trade Department, as representing the Ministry of Health, if he will grant the Return (Housing of the Working Classes) standing in the name of the hon. Member for the Westhoughton Division of Lancashire.—[Return showing, for each of the local authorities in, England and Wales for the purposes of Part II of the Housing of the Working Classes Act, 1890, the estimated number of houses for the wording classes within. the meaning of the Housing, Town Planning, & c., Act, 1919, in, their district; how Many of these houses have, during the four years ended on the 31st day of December, 1922, been inspected by the local authority with a view to ascertaining what closing orders should be issued or what notices should be served under Section 15 of the Housing, Town Planning, & c., Act, 1909, or Section 28 of the Housing Town. Planning, & c., Act, 1919; the number of closing orders issued during that period by the local authority; the number of such notices served during that period 494 by the local authority; how many of those closing orders have been determined on completion of the necessary repairs; how many of such undetermined closing orders have been enforced; in how many cases the requirements of the notices so served have been duly complied with; in how many cases where those requirements have not been duly complied with the local authority have themselves executed the repairs necessary to render the premises in all respects reasonable, fit for human habitation; in how many cases the failure to enforce a notice served under Section 28 of the Rousing, Town Planning, & c., Act, 1919, has been due to the proviso to Sub-section (4) of that Section; in how many cases the failure to enforce a notice served under Section 15 of the Housing, Town. Planning, & c., Act, 1909, has been due to Sub-section. (4) of that Section; and haw!many cases any representation or report of the medical officer of health of the district that a house is unfit or not in all respects reasonably fit for human habitation, has not been acted upon by the local authority either by the issue of a closing order or by the service of notice under Section 15 of the Hosing, Town Planning, of & Act, 1909, or Section 28 of the Housing, Town Planning, & c., Act, 1919.]
§ Sir W. JOYNSON-HICKSThe information asked for could only be obtained at the cost of much labour and expense which it would not be justifiable to incur or ask local authorities to incur at the present time. A summary has, however, been prepared from the reports of medical officers of health for 1920, covering substantially the points on which the non Member asks for information, and I shall be glad to send him a copy of this together with similar information for 1921 so far as such information is at present available.