3. Mr. Astorasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what progress he has made in the examination of the possibility of providing emergency houses for the French and other Allied peoples whose houses will have been destroyed by Allied air and military operations.
§ Mr. EdenBoth the stocks and the production of building and repair materials in this country are being kept under review by the appropriate Departments, and demands upon them for relief purposes will be met as far as possible when presented by the national and international agencies concerned. We are very conscious of the heavy sacrifices the peoples of the liberated countries have been called upon to make and I would assure my hon. Friend that the serious problem of rehousing in these countries is one which must certainly command the sympathy of all of us, and is among the subjects which are to be considered by the Inter-Allied Committee for Physical Planning and Reconstruction, established under the auspices of the Ministry of Town and Country Planning.
Mr. AstorIs there any reasonable hope that some form even of temporary housing may be produced this coming winter, if the military situation justifies it?
§ Mr. EdenAllied effort will do its best, but my hon. Friend knows how heavy and numerous are the calls.