§ 16. Major GLYNasked the Home Secretary in how many instances do county and borough authorities provide suitable housing accommodation for married and unmarried constables; whether in the reports of His Majesty's inspectors of constabulary this method is considered more satisfactory than that for renting houses and quarters; and whether, seeing that this policy has been proved, where tried, to effect economies, and has been a boon to the men concerned, as well as a means of relieving to some extent existing housing shortage throughout the country, he will take steps to encourage this practice?
§ Mr. CLYNESI am not in a position to give any exact statistics, but it is safe to say that the great majority of married and unmarried members of the county police forces are provided with houses or quarters by the police authority. As regards the borough forces, the position is different and there is not the same occasion for providing houses specifically for police occupation. Attention was drawn to the matter in one of the recent annual reports of His Majesty's inspectors of constabulary, which are issued to all police authorities. I have no reason to think that police authorities in general are not fully alive to the advantages to be secured by the provision of accommodation for members of their forces in suitable cases, and I am always ready favourably to consider any reasonable scheme for the purpose.