§ 34. Mr. James Griffithsasked the Minister of Health whether he can give the highest and lowest tender received for the erection of rural houses; and whether he can provide an analysis indicating what part of the tender represents cost of material and of labour?
§ Mr. E. BrownThe highest approved tender for building is £966 per house plus £33 for roads, sewers, architects' fees, etc., and the lowest is £644 2243 per house, plus £53 for those purposes. As to the second part of the Question, the proportion of the tender price which is attributable to the cost of materials and labour respectively will vary from tender to tender according to the conditions and the nature of the work and the organisation, circumstances and personal judgment of the tenderer and I am, therefore, unable to analyse the foregoing figures under those two headings. But I am advised that of the total cost of labour and materials used in building a working class house, roughly 6o per cent. is normally represented by materials and 40 per cent. by labour.
§ Mr. LevyMay I ask the Minister which of the tenders come from the local authorities and from private enterprise, the highest or the lowest?
§ Mr. BrownThe answer is that all the tenders have been submitted by contractors to the local authorities.
§ Sir J. LambWere the specifications of these houses the same in both cases?
§ Mr. Craven-EllisWill the Minister say whether in arriving at these estimates the cost of the services rendered by the six or more Ministers concerned and their staffs are included in those costs?
§ Mr. BrownMy hon. Friend must bear in mind that Parliament decided in the laws giving the powers to the Ministers concerned what functions each should perform.
§ Mr. J. GriffithsWill the Minister say whether his analysis indicates quite clearly that these very high prices for houses are very much more due to increases in prices of materials than increases in cost of labour?
§ Mr. BrownI would not like to draw that conclusion. There are other elements to be considered besides that, which no doubt will all be considered.
§ Major-General Sir Alfred KnoxIs not the cost of labour a large element in the cost of material?