§ 24. Mr. Craven-Ellisasked the Minister of Health whether private builders, in their plans for post war housing, should proceed on the assumption that they will 1760 receive the same amount of Government subsidy which it is intended to give to local authorities?
§ Mr. E. BrownNo, Sir. I would remind my hon. Friend that despite the absence of subsidy large numbers of houses were built by private enterprise during the years before the war.
§ Mr. Craven-EllisWhy should local authorities have more favourable conditions than private enterprise?
§ Mr. BrownOur experience of many years has shown that there is a field for local authority building and a field for private enterprise building.
§ Mr. Craven-EllisIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that private enterprise never functioned after the last war until local authorities had almost ceased to build houses because of unfair competition and it was not until after the Mond Housing Act that private enterprise was placed in a position to build houses to let at low rentals. Private enterprise has always built better houses at lower cost and rentals.
§ Mr. BrownOf the 4,000,000 houses built after the last war, 1,000,000 were built by local authorities and 3,000,000 by private enterprise.