§ 13. Mr. Studholmeasked the Minister of Works what are the agency fees charged by his Ministry for each type of pre-fabricated house; and why such fees are charged.
§ Mr. TomlinsonAll expenses incurred by the Ministry of Works in providing and erecting temporary houses are chargeable to the Temporary Housing Account. The work includes the preparation of drawings, specifications and quantities, the ordering of supplies, the placing of contracts, the supervision of works and the settlement of accounts. It is not possible to apportion these expenses to each type of house individually, but it is provisionally estimated that they will amount overall to about 2 per cent. of the total cost of the programme.
§ Mr. BossomDoes the right hon. Gentleman think that he can do that work for 2 per cent. of the total cost of building?
§ Mr. TomlinsonI am hoping so.
§ 14. Mr. Bossomasked the Minister of Works whether he has already placed orders for all of the 158,480 prefabricated houses, together with all their component parts, as listed in his White Paper, Cmd. 6686, on Temporary Housing.
§ Mr. TomlinsonNo, Sir. The number of temporary house hulls ordered is 128,830 but negotiations are in train with the manufacturers for the extension of the existing orders to cover the further number required. Except for small balances, orders have been placed for all component parts required for the hulls that have been ordered.
§ Mr. BossomIs the Minister sure of his statement that all the component parts for 100,000 odd houses, which he said had been ordered, have already been ordered?
§ Mr. TomlinsonExcept for small balances.
§ Mr. BossomCan the right hon. Gentleman say how small the balances are?
§ Mr. TomlinsonNot without notice.