§ 18. Mr. Kennedyasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware that local authorities in Scotland are finding increasing difficulty in the matter of securing materials to enable them to carry out their working-class housing programmes; that this difficulty is partly due to the diversion of materials required to luxury building; whether he proposes to take any action to ensure that such materials are made available at reasonable prices to local authorities in regular and sufficient quantities; and whether he is satisfied that the maximum available labour is now being employed in the building industry?
§ The Lord Advocate (Mr. T. M. Cooper)My information is that the supply of building materials has considerably improved in recent months, and that in general local authorities are not now find- 683 ing any difficulty in obtaining supplies. If the right hon. Member has any particular case in mind, my right hon. Friend will be glad to make inquiries if he will let him have particulars. In regard to the last part of the question, the supply of labour on local authorities' housing schemes has also increased during the past year, and my right hon. Friend is endeavouring, by encouraging the use of alternative methods of construction, to provide further employment for trades in which there is available labour.