§ 48. Sir Leonard Lyleasked the Minister of Agriculture the nature of the experimental work being carried out by the Ordnance Survey workers occupying a 12-roomed house in Christchurch Road, Boscombe, Bournemouth; whether he has considered the inconvenience of causing such work to be carried out at a pleasure resort; and how many of the staff are of military age.
§ The Minister of Aģriculture (Mr. R. S. Hudson)As I explained to my hon. Friend in my reply of 15th March, the object of this work is to test various methods in connection with the re-survey of built-up areas and the means of keeping that survey up to date. I have no evidence that residents or visitors to Bournemouth are inconvenienced by this work. Of the 63 members of the staff employed, 43 are between the ages of 18 and 35; and of these 15 have been discharged from the Army, 26 declared unfit for military service, one is a conscientious objector and one a citizen of Eire.
§ Sir L. LyleIs my right hon. Friend aware that the town clerk of Bournemouth has a list of 1,200 people wanting houses and in a desperate position, and that the people in the country take a very poor view of Ministries taking over big houses and using them for non-essential purposes?
§ Mr. HudsonThe execution of the work on which these people are engaged, namely, re-survey, is absolutely essential if the Government's post-war housing policy is to be carried out quickly and with efficiency.