§ 36. Commander Locker-Lampsonasked the Minister of Health what guarantee have men serving in His Majesty's Forces, with wives on work of national importance, that homes left unoccupied in order 1273 to help their country shall not be requisitioned by local councils under the new Act?
§ Mr. E. BrownThe object of delegating to local authorities the powers to which my hon. and gallant Friend refers was to enable them to bring into use houses which were unoccupied and in this way to relieve as far as possible the needs of those who are badly housed, including the families of serving men. Under present conditions I should not be justified in excluding from these powers individual unoccupied houses on the ground that they belonged to or were let to any particular class of owner or tenant. I have, however, asked local authorities before considering the requisitioning of a particular property to ascertain the intention as regards re-letting or occupation by the owner or tenant. If my hon. and gallant Friend has any particular cases in mind and will send me particulars I will look into them at once.