§ 15. Mr. Piratinasked the Minister of Health if he has looked into the case, of which he received information from the hon. Member for Mile End, with regard to a house of six rooms in Poplar which was requisitioned, and for a number of years has been let by the Poplar Borough Council to a family of two adults and one child; arid what steps he is taking, in general, to prevent such occurrences.
§ The Minister of Health (Mr. Aneurin Bevan)Yes, Sir. This house was requisitioned in January, 1941, and has been occupied since by a family made homeless by bombing, the previous occupier having evacuated. The house 2872 has also been used in part as a furniture store. I have no reason to think that the Council do not make the fullest use of the accommodation in their possession.
§ Mr. PiratinHas the Minister discovered, in the course of his inquiry, that the original owner of the house, who has a family of four children, has asked for the house to be returned to him, and that this has been rejected by the local council?
§ Mr. BevanI understand that there are two members of the family of the person in occupation of the house who will be demobilised this year. It is a question of weighing the claims of one against the other I am having the whole point of reoccupation of houses by evacuated persons examined.
§ Mr. PiratinDoes the Minister think it is a fair balance that a family containing only one child should occupy six rooms in a house which is in fair condition, in the circumstances outlined to him?
§ Mr. BevanIt would be undesirable to evict a certain person from a house and to have that family joined in a few months' time by two soldiers who have nowhere to go.