§ 30. Sir F. FREMANTLEasked the Minister of Health the number of local housing authorities that have not submitted to him programmes of slum-clearance; what steps he proposes to take to secure effective action in such cases; and whether he is satisfied with the progress being made throughout the country to secure clearance of all slum areas within five years?
Sir H. YOUNGThere are 1,717 local housing authorities and of these 1,341 are county district councils. I have received 1,176 returns. There are thus 541 outstanding, including 418 from county district councils. In any case in which a local authority has submitted no programme, and I have prima facie evidence that a programme should be submitted, I shall, after communications of the usual sort, proceed to secure the holding, of a public local inquiry into the position under Sections 35 or 52 of the Act. As to the last part of the question, in general the local authorities' programmes are satisfactory.
§ Sir F. FREMANTLEDoes the right hon. Gentleman think he will be able to secure clearance of all slum areas in five years?
Sir H. YOUNGThe answer is just what I have said. The programmes are a satisfactory reply to the request that I have addressed to the local authorities.
§ Mr. HICKSHas the right hon. Gentleman in his mind any period of probation to allow authorities that fail to comply?
Sir H. YOUNGThere will be no formal period of probation at all. It depends whether the local authority gives any adequate reason why its returns are not forthcoming.
§ Mr. D. GRENFELLWhen does the right hon. Gentleman expect to report that something has been done
§ Mr. PIKEIs the right hon. Gentleman satisfied in view of the changes that have taken place in the constitution of local authorities, that progress in slum clearance will not he endangered
§ Sir W. BRASSIn view of what the right hon. Gentleman said about these public inquiries, how long is he going to wait before he makes public inquiries?
Sir H. YOUNGThe hon. Gentleman will fully understand that each case must be judged upon its own circumstances. If a local authority produces any adequate reason why there should be a lapse of time in the production of its programme, sufficient time must be allowed. If there is no adequate reason, the procedure will carry on as I have described.
§ Sir ALFRED BEITCan the right hon. Gentleman give any idea of the number of people likely to be affected by the housing programme
§ 32. Captain PETER MACDONALDasked the Minister of Health if he has been able to make any estimate, as a result of the slum-clearance schemes now received by him, of the approximate annual cost to the State of assisting such schemes?
Sir H. YOUNGEstimates based upon the programmes already received indicate that on the average 44,000 houses a year will be provided by local authorities under their five-year slum-clearance schemes. This would involve an Exchequer commitment of approximately £550,000 for each year's instalment, rising to £2,750,000 a year on completion of the programme. The annual subsidy is payable for a period of 40 years from completion of the houses.
§ 38. Mr. CHORLTONasked the Minister of Health what steps will be taken to compensate those religious bodies whose schools will be affected by the reduced attendances arising out of 307 slum clearances with insufficient rehousing on site, and for those concerned by their removal to other districts?
Sir H. YOUNGThere is no provision in the Housing Acts which would enable compensation to be paid in the circumstances mentioned.
§ Mr. CHORLTONMay I ask my right hon. Friend if, in a case where almost all the scholars attending a Church school were to be affected by parents in the area being moved into another district, there would be any compensation for the school at all?
§ 44. Mr. STOURTONasked the Minister of Health the number of replies he has received from local authorities with regard to the five-years' slum-clearance plan; the total number of houses to be built; and how far these figures submitted are adequate to meet local needs as a whole?
Sir H. YOUNGAs regards the first and last parts of the question, I would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to the hon. and gallant Member for St. Albans (Sir F. Fremantle), Question No. 30, of which I am sending him a copy. As regards the second part of the question, I cannot give the number of new houses proposed to be provided until programmes have been submitted by all housing authorities, but it is estimated on the basis of the programmes already received that 200,000 houses will be provided in five years.
§ Mr. STOURTONIs my right hon. Friend aware that the response to the Government in respect of slum clearance is totally inadequate, and that no less than 200,000 houses should be built annually for a, period of 10 years, if the demand for decent houses for the lower-paid wage earners is to be met?
Sir H. YOUNGNo, Sir. With regard to adequate clearance, that is, of getting rid of the houses unfit for human habitation, the estimate to which my hon. Friend refers is quite exaggerated.
§ 47. Mr. HARCOURT JOHNSTONEasked the Minister of Health the number of houses it is estimated will be built for 308 the accommodation of previous slum dwellers during the year 1934?
Sir H. YOUNGEstimates based upon the programmes already received indicate that an average of about 44,000 houses per annum will be provided for five years by local authorities under their slum clearance schemes. It is not possible to state with certainty whether that average rate will be attained in the first year of the scheme.
§ 66. Mr. STOURTONasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if be will consider raising a national housing development loan of £500,000,000 in order that slums may be abolished and their population re-housed on a comprehensive scale suitable to the urgency of the need?
§ The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER (Mr. Chamberlain)I have every reason to believe that the existing arrangements for raising capital for slum clearance are fully adequate.
§ Mr. STOURTONSurely the right hon. Gentleman will not, allow the opportunity to go by when money is cheap and when the cost of building is cheaper than it has been at any time since the War?
§ 48. Mr. JOHNSTONEasked the Minister of Health the number of local authorities who have submitted schemes for slum clearance; what is the total population; the number of families; and the number of houses affected by the schemes so far received?
Sir H. YOUNGI would refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Westhoughton (Mr. R. Davies) on 7th November, of which I am sending him a copy. The total number of persons affected by the schemes referred to in that reply is 330,593. I am not able to say what is the number of families affected.
§ 50. Colonel WEDGWOODasked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the complaints from rural district councils concerning the compensation which they may pay to owners of houses destroyed in slum-clearance schemes, he has any proposals to make; and how many rural district councils have as yet actually put, the Act into operation?
Sir H. YOUNGThe answer to the first part of the question is in the negative; 309 19 rural district councils have formally declared areas to be clearance areas arid a number of others are dealing individually with unfit houses under Part II of the Act of 1930.
§ Colonel WEDGWOODIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that my rural district council have declined to operate the scheme unless there is compensation paid to the owners of property?
Sir H. YOUNGI should be glad to receive information from the right hon. Gentleman on the subject of any particular council.
§ Colonel WEDGWOODI have already communicated with the right hon. Gentleman.
§ 59. Major NATHANasked the Minister of Health whether he has received any definite programme of the unhealthy areas to be cleared or improved by the London County Council under the provisions of the Housing Act, 1930, during the next five years, as called for in his Housing Circular 1331?
Sir H. YOUNGI received early in August a comprehensive report from the County Council containing a programme for the displacement and rehousing within a period of 10 years of a quarter of a million persons. I am expecting a supplementary and more detailed report shortly. I would remind the hon. Member that it was recognised in Circular 1331 that the time needed to remedy the present deficiencies in London will be longer than in other areas.