WORKS, BUILDINGS AND LANDS. (Hansard, 9 March 1933)

§ Captain CUNNINGHAM-REID
There is one comparatively small point on Vote 10 on which I would like to ask for some further information. Item 11 of Sub-head (C) provides for a sum of £500 this year as part of a total Estimate of £42,000 which it is proposed to expend to provide 72 quarters for married warrant officers, non - commissioned officers and men at St. John's Wood Artillery Barracks. I understand that these quarters are to provide not only for the married strength of the artillery units quartered in the barracks, but also to some extent for the married strength of the Household Cavalry regiment quartered at Albany Street Barracks. I fully appreciate the difficulty of my hon. Friend in having to find adequate married quarters throughout the whole 1480 of the London area for the troops. On the other hand, I consider that the present system, especially as regards these particular barracks, is far from satisfactory. The position is that, over and above the accommodation that is required in those particular barracks, it was found some time ago that more accommodation was required. Consequently, in 1919 the War Department took over 16 houses in a street called Queen's Terrace, N.W.S, and in those particular houses were a number of residents who were protected by certain legislation.
The Committee will no doubt agree that the occupation of premises both by soldiers, who come under military discipline, and at the same time by civilians, who come under no such restraint, is a very unsatisfactory situation. The endless difficulties which arose during the War with regard to billets, as many hon. Members will no doubt recollect, have proved that conclusively. Numerous complaints are being made all the time. There are petty squabbles, which I have not attempted to bring to the notice of my hon. Friend, but which have been brought to my notice during the last nine months, all of which I consider to be directly attributable to this particular system. I agree we cannot achieve very much with a matter of £500 this year, and I must apologise to the Committee for having taken up this brief moment in discussing this small sum, but I would point out that there is a, total sum of £42,000 for this Estimate. Consequently, in view of the information which I have been able to give my hon. Friend, I should like to know what he intends to do in order to tackle this little problem. It may be little, but unfortunately it is a distinct problem. I should deprecate what might appear to be a very simple solution, that is, the ejection of the few remaining of my civilian constituents from these houses that were taken over by the War Office.

§ Mr. COOPER
The point raised by my hon. and gallant Friend is concerned with the action of the War Office in taking over certain buildings in the neighbourhood of Albany Barracks to serve as married quarters. Some of them are occupied by civilians and, as he says, some of these do not get on very well 1481 with the soldiers. Possibly they would not get on very well if the houses were only occupied by civilians. I imagine that the small sum concerned here is in the nature of a token Vote to enable us to spend what money we can in order to recondition these houses to make them suitable for married quarters for the troops in London, not only for the cavalry, but all the troops in London which are suffering from the great shortage of married quarters. As the rents fall in, and as the civilian occupants who are inhabiting the houses decide to take their habitations elsewhere, we shall be glad to do what we can to make these buildings, which are in a poor condition, more suitable to serve as married quarters for the troops.

§ Sir J. NALL
I should like to raise the subject of the Estimates and the Estimates Committee. The Financial Secretary, responding earlier to-day to what was said by certain hon. Members, 1482 indicated that, in the view of his Department, it was entirely unnecessary for any sort of detailed scrutiny of these Estimates in the House. I venture to say that that is not in accordance with the facts, because we have an Estimates Committee of the House whose duty it is from time to time to examine various departmental Estimates. It is some years since I raised in the House the question of providing an adequate system of Estimates Committees so that Votes of this kind could be examined in proper detail by a Committee of the House.

§ The CHAIRMAN
I am afraid that the question which the hon. Member is raising is rather too wide to be raised on a special Vote. Obviously, it is a question which applies to all of them, and not to any one of them.

§ Sir J. NALL
I will limit my reply accordingly. The particular Vote before us is essentially one which ought to be scrutinised in more detail than time now permits. It is to be hoped that the Government will further consider the question of giving hon. Members an adequate opportunity to consider these Votes in proper detail before they are submitted to a Committee of the Whole House.