MINISTRY OF WORKS AND BUILDINGS.

HC Deb 24 October 1940 vol 365 cc1150-4

Mr. Attlee

I will, with permission, now make the promised statement about the functions of the Ministry of Works and Buildings.

The Ministry of Works and Buildings will be responsible for the erection of all new civil works and buildings required by any other Government Department. It will take over to begin with the whole organisation of His Majesty's Office of Works, including their present responsibilities for the erection of buildings for other Civil Departments and for Service Departments, and the work of the Ministry of Supply, including the new buildings section of the Ordnance Factories and the approval of plans of new private factories or extensions of existing private factories, to the cost of which the Ministry of Supply is contributing.

Highly specialised work at present carried out by the Service Departments, either by direct labour or through contractors (such as the civil engineering works of the Admiralty; the construction of aerodromes or aerodrome buildings; fortification and defence works); and work overseas will remain with the Service Departments.

The responsibility for maintenance and repairs of buildings and equipment in use by the Service Department or the Ministry of Supply will remain with those Departments, except in so far as a transfer to the Ministry of Works and Buildings may be mutually agreed to be convenient.

The Ministry of Works and Buildings will be responsible for the licensing of private building, and for determining the priority of proposals for rebuilding buildings damaged by air raids.

The Ministry of Works and Buildings may arrange, by agreement with the Service Departments or the Ministry of Aircraft Production, to erect on their behalf new works and buildings not of a highly specialised character, such as stores or depots or houses and buildings of an architectural nature, and for the supervision of contracts for the erection of new private factories or the extension of existing private factories required for war production.

The Production Council will lay down the general order of priority of building work. The Minister will be a member of the Production Council and responsible for the Works and Buildings Priority Committee. He will determine the application of the directions of the Production Council to the priority of particular buildings, subject to appeal, if necessary, to the Council.

The Minister will be empowered to call on all Departments retaining responsibility for the erection and maintenance of build- ings and works of construction (including Departments concerned with work carried out by or on behalf of local authorities or public utility undertakings) to furnish from time to time such information as he may require as to the present and prospective demands of themselves and their contractors for labour and materials, and any points ancillary thereto.

The Minister will be responsible for such control or central purchase of building materials not at present controlled as may be necessary.

The Minister will take steps to institute research into such questions as the adoption of substitutes for building materials which are in short supply, or the modification of designs and specifications with a view to expedition, and to ensure that the results of past and future research are promptly communicated to all concerned. For this purpose he will make full use of the Building Research organisation of D.S.I.R. He will be empowered to call on Departments retaining responsibility for building to satisfy him that they are making full use of the results of research in this connection.

It is clear that the reconstruction of town and country after the war raises great problems and gives a great opportunity. The Minister of Works and Buildings has, therefore, been charged by the Government with the responsibility of consulting the Departments and organisations concerned with a view to reporting to the Cabinet the appropriate methods and machinery for dealing with the issues involved.

Mr. Shinwell

Will not this division of functions to which my right hon. Friend has referred lead to considerable overlapping? Would it not be desirable to effect rather more co-ordination in respect of planning for building purposes? If we are to wait until the end of the war for a report by the First Commissioner of Works on the buildings required to provide millions of our population with habitations, what is to be done now for the people who require accommodation? Is there to be any planning undertaken for the civilian population during the war?

Mr. Attlee

I do not think it is possible to debate the subject by question and answer across the Floor of the House; but I do not understand why my hon. Friend assumes that nothing is to be done immediately, or that there is any question of waiting until the end of the war. Also, there is no division of functions, except that, for obvious reasons, certain technical officers will remain with the Service Ministries.

Mr. Shinwell

As this matter obviously cannot be settled by question and answer, will an early opportunity be provided to debate it?

Mr. Attlee

Yes, I think it is highly desirable to have an early Debate.

Sir P. Harris

Are we to understand that all new buildings and construction will be subject to centralised control, or will it be delegated, as before, to the Building Acts committees of the local authorities? If it is to be centralised, will that not lead to endless delay?

Mr. Attlee

I think that if the hon. Member reads the statement, he will see the exact extent of centralised control.

Mr. Austin Hopkinson

Will the right hon. Gentleman inform us as to the exact meaning of the term "buildings of an architectural nature"?

Mr. Attlee

That means, buildings of some architectural merits. Many buildings have none.

Mr. Lawson

Is the Lord Privy Seal aware that leaving these matters in the hands of the Service Departments will result in conflicting tenders and competition for labour? Will that not leave the position, as far as building is concerned, exactly where it is?

Mr. Attlee

I think hon. Members would do well to study the statement. That is directly contrary to what is in the statement. There is full power given to the Minister with regard to priorities and control. The point that the hon. Member makes deals with the actual carrying out of certain technical functions.

Sir William Davison

Will my right hon. Friend assure the House that these various committees will put no immediate bar on the replacement of urgent buildings which have been destroyed?

Mr. Attlee

That is one of the objects of this proposal; but, in view of the limited amount of material and labour, it is quite clear that there must be a decision on priorities, as to what buildings should be replaced first.

Mr. Hicks

In view of the importance of this new Ministry and of the great hopes placed in it, and having heard the statement made now, which is far too extensive for me to understand in its full implications, would my right hon. Friend not agree—