HC Deb 23 February 1945 vol 408 cc1100-8
The Minister of Works (Mr. Duncan Sandys)

With your permission, Mr. Speaker, I should like to make a statement about the Government's temporary housing programme. I recently undertook to make a statement on the subject.

The Housing (Temporary Accommodation) Act, 1944, envisaged the production of some 200,000 temporary houses during the two years' period following upon the end of hostilities in Europe. The factories and labour needed for this programme were to be largely provided from the capacity which would be released from the munitions industries after the defeat of Germany. Subsequently, in view of the pressing need for living accommodation, the Government decided to try to start production at once, notwithstanding the fact that the war was still continuing. Much of the factory capacity and labour, upon which the original programme had been based, cannot as yet be released from munitions production. In addition, our choice of design is considerably restricted by various war-time shortages of materials such as timber and sheet steel.

We have, in consequence, been obliged to turn almost exclusively to the less highly prefabricated types of house, involving the employment of an increased number of man-hours on the site. This is one of the reasons why the cost appears likely to work out considerably higher than had been orginally estimated for the pressed steel house. At the same time, some local authorities are finding very serious difficulty in providing suitable sites for the temporary bungalows without encroaching upon sites which have been prepared for permanent houses and so running the risk of compromising their long-term building programme.

Having regard to these and other considerations, the Government have decided, in the interests of economy and town planning, to switch over, as soon as is practicable, to the construction of permanent dwellings, which can be built on normal sites and which will not have to be pulled down in a few years' time. I hope in due course to be able to make a further statement to the House about the method and timing of this change over.

Meanwhile, I have felt it right to ask the manufacturers of temporary houses not to enter into any further long-term commitments in respect of plant or capacity beyond what would be required for the next nine to twelve months' production. For this purpose I have set an upper limit for each type. These limits are in no sense forecasts of deliveries. They are intended purely for the guidance of the firms in planning production. Since the prospects of production during the current year depend so largely on how long the war in Europe lasts, it is quite impossible for the present to announce any firm programme. I shall, of course, watch the position closely, and should it become evident that for any reason the start of permanent house building is likely to be delayed, it will be possible, providing sufficient notice is given, to place continuation orders for temporary houses for a further period.

However, in order that there should be no misunderstanding, I wish to make it quite clear that until such time as the permanent house building programme can be got well under way, the Government intend to press forward with the manufacture of temporary bungalows to the fullest possible extent. The rate of production will be limited only by the supply of labour, materials and factory capacity.

As I warned the House on a previous occasion, the numbers we can expect to produce whilst the war in Europe continues, cannot be very great. However, as soon as Germany is defeated, I am hopeful that we may be able to step up the output very considerably. If a smooth flow of production is to be maintained and congestion in the depots avoided, a sufficient number of sites must at all times be ready well in advance to receive deliveries of house components as they come out of the factories. I hope, therefore, that local authorities will continue to press ahead energetically with the preparation of sites in accordance with the programme which is being issued to them by my right hon. Friends the Minister of Health and the Secretary of State for Scotland.

The types of temporary bungalows to which I have referred in this statement do not include the pressed steel house. Since it could not come into production on any appreciable scale during the next 12 months, I have felt it necessary to reconsider the position in regard to this type. Amongst other alternatives I am examining with the manufacturers the possibility of substituting a pressed steel two-storey house of permanent construction in place of the temporary bungalow.

Hon. Members will however be glad to learn that deliveries of temporary houses during the second half of this year will include a substantial number from the United States of America. As was announced by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister last November, the United States Government very kindly offered to consider the possibility of helping us in our acute housing difficulties, by providing us with a certain number of prefabricated temporary bungalows on lease-lend terms, for erection in areas which have suffered from enemy bombing. A Mission was sent to Washington to discuss design and other technical questions. I am now able to inform the House that these discussions were satisfactorily completed a few days ago and that the United States Government have generously declared their readiness to send us some 30,000 of these temporary houses.

Apart from certain alterations to suit our special requirements the houses will be of a type already introduction in the United States for war-time purposes. They will be very similar in size to the standard British bungalow. Subject to shipping conditions, the United States Government hope to be able to deliver a considerable proportion of them during the second half of this year. These 30,000 American houses will constitute a valuable and substantial addition to the number of temporary dwellings which we are able to produce in this country with the limited resources of labour and materials at present available. I am sure the House will join with me in expressing to the Government and people of the United States our thanks and appreciation for this further generous and timely act of friendship.

Mr. A. Greenwood

We have had a very important statement made to us, and I must again say how the House—I think in all quarters—deprecate important statements being made on a non-debatable basis. This is a change of policy. In my view there can be no separation of the treatment of the temporary problem from that of the permanent problem. I am sorry the Leader of the House is not here because I think the House is very apprehensive about the housing position and will require an early Debate on the whole situation. The House will also expect that all the Ministers who seem to be handling this matter in various ways will be present to take part in such a Debate, so that the House can express its views. I hope the Chief Whip will bear that in mind.

Mr. Sandys

I have been asked a number of Questions on this subject during the last two or three weeks. I felt I was not able to do justice to those Questions at Question Time, and I therefore felt it right to give the House this information at the very first opportunity. That, naturally, does not preclude a Debate, should the House desire one.

Mr. Lewis

How does this alteration in the programme affect the position of areas which have not suffered badly from bombing? With regard to the supply of temporary houses, I understood that areas which have suffered badly from bombing, were to have the first deliveries of temporary houses. Now that the total supply of temporary houses is to be severely cut down, does it mean that areas which have not suffered from bombing will get no temporary houses at all?

Mr. Sandys

The reference I made to bombed areas applies only to the American houses.

Mr. Lewis

Am I to understand that deliveries will be made to areas which have not suffered badly from bomb damage?

Mr. Sandys

Certainly.

Mr. Shinwell

In view of the fact that for two years the Minister of Health, and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, and other Ministers, have been coming forward in this House with statements about their housing intentions, temporary and permanent, and in view of the fact that many of the schemes they have adumbrated have been discarded, can we have an assurance that the proposals contained in the statement we have heard this morning will not be put into operation until this House has had an ample opportunity of debating it?

Mr. Eden

I think the position is quite plain to the House. The Minister has given information to the House in accordance with our practice by which at the earliest opportunity, information is made available to the House, both to hon. Members who are present and the House generally. We shall certainly consider, when hon. Members have had an opportunity of digesting information, giving an opportunity for a Debate, but I do not think anybody would want to hold up the work meanwhile. That is the only proviso, but I think the House should have an opportunity for discussion.

Mr. Silkin

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that this statement constitutes a complete change of policy, on which the House should express its opinion? Further, in view of the Minister's own criticisms of the temporary houses, will he now abandon the policy of building temporary houses altogether, and get on as fast as he car with erecting permanent houses?

Mr. Sandys

I think I have made the Government's policy quite clear. I believe that the majority of hon. Members are in agreement that we should try, as soon as it is practicable, to turn over to the construction of permanent dwellings, in the interests of both town planning and of public economy. We are not in a position immediately to make that switch. The consideration which I feel must decide all our actions at the present moment is, by one means or another, to produce the absolute maximum number of dwellings during this critical period which lies immediately ahead. Therefore, there can be no question, in my view, of abandoning the temporary programme until we can see our way to provide a substantially equal number of dwellings of permanent construction.

Mr. Lipson

Does the right hon. Gentleman's statement mean that more or less houses will be available within the next 12 months than was anticipated? Further, has the Minister anything to say about the talks that have been taking place in Stockholm with regard to timber houses?

Mr. Sandys

With regard to the possibility of obtaining Swedish houses, I explained at Question Time recently that discussions have been going on. However, I will prefer not to make any statement meanwhile. As soon as any conclusion has been reached, I shall be very glad to inform the House. With regard to whether this change will result in more or less dwellings in the present 12 months, the answer is "There will be precisely the same number." I am not holding out the prospect that we shall be able, by going over to permanent construction, to increase the number of dwellings we can produce. My hope is that we shall be able to change over to permanent construction without diminishing the number of dwellings we could obtain by temporary construction.

Mr. Frankel

I asked the Minister on 7th February for a White Paper, and a Debate upon this subject, in view of answers be had given to Questions as to various changes. Can we have an assurance this morning with regard to the general desire of the House for a Debate as early as possible?

Mr. Eden

I thought I had already made that plain. Certainly, it is desirable that there should be a Debate, when hon. Members have had an opportunity of examining this statement.

Mr. Reakes

Is the Minister satisfied that what amounts to a revolutionary change in policy will not have a detrimental effect upon achieving an immediate or at any rate an early solution of the problem of the bombed areas?

Mr. Sandys

It will not have the slightest effect on that one way or the other.

Mr. Gallacher

In view of the statement the Prime Minister made that many local authorities were reluctant to build temporary houses because of lack of sites, or because of interference with sites for permanent houses, may I ask whether this difficulty does not arise from the fact that the local authorities are limited, so far as land is concerned? Having regard to the statement of the Prime Minister that the Government do not like sharks, will they take action to get rid of the land shark, so that the local authorities will be able to get the land they need for housing?

Lieut.-Colonel Sir William Allen

Will a number of these American prefabricated houses be supplied to Northern Ireland? I am sure the Minister is aware of the damage that was done there. Streets of working-class houses were entirely demolished, and we should have the opportunity of getting some of these houses. We seem to do nothing but talk about providing houses instead of getting on with the job. May we look forward to private builders being given the liberty to carry on with the materials at their disposal?

Miss Ward

With regard to my right hon. Friend's statement-on the preparation of sites and the responsibility of local authorities, what is to be the position of local authorities who have had their tech- nical men withdrawn for other work of national importance and cannot, therefore, get on with the preparation of their sites?

Mr. Sandys

That is one of the great difficulties. The hon. Lady has written to me about a particular case, which I have looked into. We are doing what we can. A high priority is given to cases of this kind, but there can be no question of an overriding priority for the release of any individual. The respective importance of the housing tasks for which he is needed and the duties on which he is now engaged have to be weighed one against the other.

Mr. Edgar Granville

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the statement he has made this morning will be received with something approaching dismay in some of the areas which are on war production in this country, and which have been consistently overcrowded now for five years or more? Will he see that the smaller local builders are given opportunities to obtain man-power and, more particularly, are given opportunities to get their equipment back from the large builders, to whom they lent it in order to carry out work on camps arid aerodromes? Will he also look into the question of making better use of the existing housing accommodation?

Mr. Sandys

The last two points raised, I think, relate to a totally different question. However, with regard to the first, I do not understand why the people in the areas to which the hon. Member referred should receive my statement with dismay. I made it quite clear, in answer to an earlier question, that the result will not be any reduction whatever in the number of dwellings to be provided—

Mr. Shinwell

Or any increase.

Mr. Sandys

—so there is no cause for dismay.

Mr. Greenwood

In view of the interest indicated by the number of supplementary questions put to the Minister, will my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House arrange for as early a discussion as possible on this, the greatest of our domestic problems? I do not think we can interfere with next week's Business, but it might be arranged in the following week.

Mr. Eden

Of course, I will consider that. As regards the actual time table, I would not commit myself this morning, but, naturally, if it is the desire of the House to have a Debate, the Government will provide the fullest possible opportunity.