18. Mr. Bernard Taylorasked the Minister of Health if he will consider extending the time beyond 1st March, 1945, for facilities of free travel and assistance for the transporting of furniture to people who have been evacuated from Dover and other south-east coast towns and are unable to return before 1st March, 1945, owing to the housing shortage.
§ Mr. WillinkWhen the facilities mentioned were announced last December, the 1540 local authorities were informed that they should grant them only to persons who applied before 1st March. This time limit was imposed because it was thought to be reasonable to expect the evacuees to make up their minds, without undue delay, whether they would return to the evacuation areas or not. No time limit was, however, prescribed for the date of travel, and it is open to the local authorities to grant free travel and other facilities to enable evacuees to return to these areas after 1st March, provided that they have made application before that date.