HC Deb 15 May 1947 vol 437 cc1683-4
15. Brigadier Peto

asked the Minister of Health what is the number of traditional houses approved as a programme for the Barnstaple Rural District Council for the current year.

Mr. Bevan

I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to Appendix B of the Housing Return for March and to the letter I have written to him.

Brigadier Peto

Will the right hon. Gentlemen not agree that the letter to which he has referred deals with 26 traditional houses, three private enterprise houses and 50 Airey houses which were allocated for the building programme for 1946, to which have been added, as the new allotment for 1947, only 65 houses?

Mr. Bevan

The answer, as in the case of other similar questions, is that the allocation is based on the physical resources of the building industry in the area. If the houses are built we will give a further allocation.

Mr. Godfrey Nicholson

Is a traditional house any house other than a "prefab."?

Mr. Bevan

No, a traditional house is the normal brick-built house.

Mr. Nicholson

Anything built with other materials is—

Mr. Bevan

—a non-traditional house. The word "prefabricated" is entirely misleading. Prefabricated houses are usually temporary houses, and are so-called because they have been prefabricated in a factory. The others are called non-traditional houses because they are built of non-traditional materials.

Mr. Nicholson

They may be permanent?

Mr. Bevan

They are permanent. If they are built of non-traditional materials they are called non-traditional houses.

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