§ 6. Mr. Sparksasked the Minister of Health, in view of the housing problem in many Middlesex municipal boroughs and their inability through shortage of suitable land to develop adequate housing schemes within their own boundaries, whether he will take steps to give powers to the Middlesex County Council to acquire land within the county boundary to promote housing schemes jointly with the municipal boroughs concerned; and in view of the growing shortage of land suitable for housing development, if he will take steps to prevent the L.C.C. from appropriating any more land in Middlesex.
§ Mr. BevanNo, Sir. Local housing authorities have power to acquire land outside their own boundaries and where this is necessary they should seek agreement with other local authorities in the county for this purpose. I will, of course, bear in mind the needs of Middlesex local authorities when considering proposals for the acquisition of land by the London County Council.