§ 42. Miss BONDFIELDasked the Minister of Health the result of the Prime Minister's appeal for a sum of £32,000 required for the purchase from the London County Council of the Pulford Street site in Westminster; whether the Pulford Street site committee has appealed to the Ministry for a loan, grant, or special subsidy to carry out the purchase of the site and improvement of the area; whether his attention has been drawn to an estimate officially published by the Westminster City Council more than a year ago that the cost of purchasing this site, erecting the proposed buildings, and so housing about 1,000 people, would represent less than an additional farthing per pound on the Westminster City rates; and whether he has received any recent communication from the Westminster Council as to its now proceeding with the scheme on the usual subsidy terms?
§ Sir K. WOODMy right hon. Friend has no information as to the result of the appeal, made by the committee formed for the purchase of the site in question, for subscriptions to enable the purchase to be completed. No application for financial assistance has been made to my Department by the committee. The City Council have not furnished my right hon. Friend with a copy of the estimate referred to; nor have they submitted any proposal for the utilisation of the land for the purpose of a housing scheme.
§ Mr. RYEIs my right hon. Friend aware that the decision of the Westminster City Council not to acquire and build upon this site was arrived at after consultation with their official experts; that this site belongs to a great housing authority, the London County Council; that the London County Council have never considered it necessary to build working-class dwellings upon this site; and, further, that the Westminster City Council has entered into various commitments for the erection of a large number of dwellings at the corner of Ebury Street and Ebury Bridge Road?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe hon. Member is giving a lot of information. Sir Arthur Holbrook.