§ 33. Mr. Spenceasked the Secretary of State for Scotland the quantity of timber required to build a traditional type permanent house and a Cruden house of similar size.
§ The Secretary of State for Scotland (Mr. Westwood)A maximum of two standards of softwood is at present allowed for a traditional house, and 1.5 standards for a Cruden house of similar size. For all types of houses, a maximum of 10 cubic feet of hardwood, and 450 square feet of plywood, are allowed.
§ Mr. SpenceWill the right hon. Gentleman reconsider the Cruden housing programme in Scotland, with a view to getting a larger number of completed houses in 1947, and increasing the present 1,000 to a higher figure?
§ Mr. WestwoodI am certainly willing to take anything into consideration with a view to helping housing, but there is a real shortage of timber. I realise that Cruden houses require less timber, and I am giving full consideration to these points as far as the allocation to nontraditional types of houses is concerned.
§ Mr. Derek Walker-SmithIn England and Wales the amount of timber for traditional houses was reduced by the Minister of Health to 1.6 standards per house; why is more timber required in Scotland than in England?
§ Mr. WestwoodIt has always required more wood than in England because of the climatic conditions—the conditions have always been different.