§ 36. Mr. PIKEasked the Minister of Health whether he is aware that the Sheffield City Council refuse to allocate council houses unless the applicant can guarantee the possession of a certain income; whether he will state the minimum and maximum amounts that applicants with one, two, three, four, and five children, respectively, must prove as income; and whether he will withhold further grants until a full inquiry has been made?
§ Mr. SHAKESPEAREMy right hon. Friend understands that there is a minimum standard of income which is used by the officers of the Sheffield City Council as a guide for dealing with applications for tenancy of council houses, but that departures from this standard are made where circumstances justify them. My right hon. Friend is not able 1777 to give the information sought in the second part of the question. The management of houses provided by a local authority is expressly vested in them by Section 67 of the Housing Act, 1925, and my right hon. Friend is not aware that any of the conditions upon which subsidy has been granted to them has been contravened.
§ Mr. PIKEIs the hon. Gentleman aware that some 6,500 applicants for houses in Sheffield are in the precise position of the Minister himself, since, their applications having been turned down, they do not know, and cannot get to know in any circumstances, what level of income they must have in order to justify an application? Would the hon. Gentleman order an inquiry to be made, so that the public may at least be in a position to know exactly how much earnings they must have before they can have the key of a council house?
§ Mr. SHAKESPEAREAs I have pointed out many times, council estates are vested in the local authorities, and, if there is dissatisfaction in this respect, the tenants, as citizens, have an annual opportunity of expressing their opinion.
§ 37. Mr. PIKEasked the Minister of Health if he will state how many city councillors and corporation officials are tenants of the Sheffield Corporation housing estates; and by how much their income exceeds the amount which the authorities demand as a minimum income for its tenants?
§ Mr. SHAKESPEAREMy right hon. Friend regrets that the information for which my hon. Friend asks is not in his possession.
§ Mr. PIKEWill the hon. Gentleman assure the House that the income of the holders of council houses is not beyond the limit laid down by that authority as the income to be possessed by a tenant of a corporation house?
§ Mr. SHAKESPEAREMy right hon. Friend has continually impressed upon local authorities the need for seeing that council houses do in fact go to the tenants for whom they were built.
§ Mr. PIKEIs the hon. Gentleman satisfied that the Sheffield Corporation are carrying that policy into effect?
§ Mr. T. WILLIAMSIs not the only solution for the problem referred to in the question that Sheffield should build more houses?