§ 10. Mr. Gammansasked the Minister of Health if he will publish the full correspondence between himself, the Westminster City Council and the War Office, concerning the derequisitioning of Fountain Court.
§ Mr. BevanFountain Court has not been released from requisition. It is held in my behalf by the Westminster City Council and is now in process of conversion into 92 flats. In these circumstances I do not consider it necessary to publish the correspondence.
§ Mr. GammansDo I understand that the statement made by the right hon. Gentleman at the London Trades Council on 19th September, that it was because of his personal intervention that the place was derequisitioned, was so much nonsense?
§ Mr. BevanThe hon. Member is, as usual, inaccurate. I made no such statement. What the hon. Member means is the statement I was alleged to have made. Whenever I have made a statement about Fountain Court in public, or to any deputation, I have always made it quite clear that Fountain Court was derequisitioned, or rather was handed over, to the Westminster City Council at the specific request of the chairman and the clerk of the Westminster City Council.
§ Mr. GammansIn view of the fact that this statement attributed to the right hon. Gentleman appeared in "The Times," does he not think it would have been a good idea if he had formally denied it?
§ Mr. BevanI have not a copy of "The Times" before me, but I doubt whether "The Times" did say that I made the statement. What it did say was that I was alleged to have made the statement.
§ Mr. TurtonIs it not a fact that the Westminster City Council pressed for the derequisitioning of these premises as long ago as last April, and that nothing was done about it?
§ Mr. BevanThat is not correct, as far as I know. All I know is that within three weeks of being approached by the representative of the City Council, I had got the premises handed over.