§ 42. Mr. Summersasked the Minister of Health whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of houses remaining unoccupied in England and Wales which might otherwise have been let to tenants if the owners had an assurance that they could obtain possession at the end of the war?
§ Mr. E. BrownAs regards possession of a house which is let subject to the Rent Restrictions Acts, the Acts provide that an owner can obtain from the Court an order for possession of his house for occupation as a residence for himself without proof of alternative accommodation, unless the court is satisfied that greater hardship would be caused by granting the order than by refusing to grant it. No estimate has been made on the basis assumed by my hon. Friend.
§ Mr. Craven-EllisIs it not a fact that houses are kept empty in consequence of the Rent Restrictions Acts, and is it not time that some modification was made in those Acts?
§ Mr. Ellis SmithIs it not a fact that these houses are owned by the people who have been putting most of the Questions to-day?