HC Deb 08 March 1932 vol 262 cc1634-5
53. Mr. HAMMERSLEY

asked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the redundancy of cotton-spinning mills and the shortage of working-class accommodation, he will cause an inquiry to be made into the practicability of converting cotton-mill buildings into tenement buildings?

The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the MINISTRY of HEALTH (Mr. Ernest Brown)

Proposals of this kind have been made in the past and have been found on inquiry to be neither economical nor effective generally, but careful consideration would be given to any proposal for the conversion of a particular building submitted by a local authority.

Mr. HAMMERSLEY

Could my hon. Friend direct my attention to those places, in some official report, where it has been found undesirable and uneconomic?

Mr. BROWN

I would refer the hon. Member to the experiments that were made in 1919 on this matter.

Mr. HAMMERSLEY

Have not the circumstances materially altered since then; are there not many more of these redundant mills; and has not the desirability of erecting working-class houses increased?

Mr. BROWN

The answer is that there is a great variety of considerations to be taken into account, and, as my hon. Friend knows, the mills are not equally suitable for this purpose. That is why I have given the answer that I have, that any particular proposal made will receive consideration.

Mr. HAMMERSLEY

Does not my hon. Friend appreciate that it is very unsatisfactory to get an answer referring to the redundancy of cotton mills in 1919, when there were no redundant cotton and that now there are over 200 of them?

Mr. BROWN

The answer is that I did not refer to redundancy at all, but to experiments made in this direction, which were found to be very costly indeed.

Mr. HAMMERSLEY

In the light of the facts, will my hon. Friend look into the matter again?

Mr. BROWN

Certainly.