HC Deb 14 December 1948 vol 459 cc990-3
3. Mr. McKie

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the profits, or losses, incurred by the tractor section of the Department of Agriculture for Scotland for the years 1939 to 1947, inclusive.

Mr. Woodburn

The net cost of the tractor service of the Department of Agriculture for Scotland for the years 1939 to 1947, as shown in the Department's Appropriation Accounts, was £1,183,142. I am circulating in the OFFICIAL REPORT the figures for each year during the period.

Following is the information:

6. Mr. Timmons

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland the prices of the following permanent non-traditional houses, Cruden, Orlet, B.I.S.F., Weir Steel House, Whitsun, Fairhurst, Lindsay, Stuart, Mifton-Clyde and aluminium.

Mr. Woodburn

As the answer involves a large number of figures I propose, with my hon. Friend's permission, to circulate a statement in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Mr. Timmons

May I take it that the cost of some of the houses is between £1,500 and £1,600?

Mr. Woodburn

It depends on what my hon. Friend means by "some." Most of them are below that figure.

Mr. Timmons

These particular houses are aluminium. I want to know if the aluminium house costs between £1,500 and £1,600.

Mr. Woodburn

It depends on which aluminium house my hon. Friend means. There is the temporary aluminium

Type Price Date of Tender Remarks
Cruden (first programme). £1,241 to £1,346 (blocks of 2) 17.5.46 Prices, which exclude fencing, are graded for varying numbers of houses per site from 4 to 48.
£1,223 to £1,328 (blocks of 4)
Cruden (second programme). £1,465 to £1,830 (the highest cost is for a remote area in Argyll). 28.4.48 Prices, which exclude fencing and gates, electric service, connections to sewers and water mains and watching, vary according to the number of houses to the number of houses per site from 4 to 26 and to the area where the houses are to be built. An outhouse, where required is provided at extra cost.
Orlit (first programme) Type R/C/4 … £1,220 31.5.46 Prices, which exclude gas and electric services, wash boilers, cookers and fencing, are for a minimum of 50 houses per site within 50 miles of Edinburgh or Paisley.
Type R/C/5 … £1,340
Type R/C1/4 … £1,180
Type R/C/4/5 … £1,240
Type F/1/4 … £1,130
Orlit (second programme). £1,294 to £1,339 1.1.48 Prices, which exclude gas and electric services and fencing and gates, vary according to the area where the houses are to be built.
B.I.S.F. £1,267 (500 houses per site) 1.2.46 Prices exclude cooker and tail drain. Additional sums of payable to cover steel delivery charges to sites between 50 and 150 miles from Glasgow.
£1,287 (200 houses per site)
£1,307 (50 houses per site)
Weir "Quality" (first programme). £1,160 14.8.45 Price excludes foundations and services.
Weir "Quality" (second programme). £1,226 1.9.46 Price, which excludes gas and electric services and fencing, is for a minimum of 50 houses per site within 15 miles from Coat bridge. Additional charges are made to cover the extra cost of building in smaller numbers and in remote areas.
Whitson-Fairhurst Type C42A … £1,172 10s. 31.3.46 Prices, which exclude gas and electric services and fencing, are for a minimum of 50 houses per site.
Type C42B …
Type C44A (end)
Type C44B (end)
Type C44A (mid) £1,132 10s.
Type C44B (mid)
Type C52A … £1,292
Type F44A … £1,094

house built at the end of the war and the permanent aluminium house built since then. I think my hon. Friend had better look at the figures.

Mr. Timmons

I am speaking of the permanent house. My right hon. Friend knows very well to which house I am referring. He has continued to impose on the local authorities aluminium houses costing in the region of from £1,500 to £1,600 against houses which cost £300 or £400 less.

Following is the information:

Type Price Date of Tender Remarks
Lindsay £1,155 7.3.46 —
Stuart (first programme). Type 4C/2 £1,252 31.5.46 Prices, which exclude gas and electric services and fencing, are for a minimum of 100 houses per site.
Type 4T/H £1,235
Type 4T/6 £1,230
Type 4F/4 £1,140
Stuart (second programme. Type 4C/2 £1,498 20.1.48 Prices are for a minimum of 80 houses per site and exclude cookers, gas and electric services, fencing and gates.
Type 4T/4 £1,471
Type 4T/6 £1,462
Type AF/4 £1,361
Myton-Clyde £1,250 27.8.47 Price excludes cooker and clothes poles.
Aluminium bungalow (first programme). £1,593 (20-49 per site) 30.4.47 Prices exclude clothes poles.
£1,579 (50-99per site)
£1,574 (100-149 per site)
Aluminium bungalow (second programme). £1,422 (20-49 per site) 30.4.47 Prices exclude clothes poles.
£1,408 (50-99 per site)
£1,403 (100-149 per site)
£1,399 (150-199 per site)
£1,397 (200 and over per site)
The Weir First Programme is the subject of a contract between the Ministry of Works and the Weir Company which embodies a condition that the price will be reduced by the amount of any profit margin, as disclosed by cost investigation, exceeding what is agreed to be a fair and reasonable profit.
The arrangements for the B.I.S.F. and Cruden houses are in the nature of "central orders" by the Secretary of State, but contracts are entered into between the promoters and the housing authorities concerned. The agreed prices are subject to review after cost investigation.
The price of the Lindsay house was negotiated with contractors by Ayr County Council.
In the other cases, the programmes have been arranged between the Department of Health for Scotland and the promoters, but local authorities sharing in the programme place orders and enter into contracts with the promoters in the usual way. The prices are not subject to costing.
In all cases, the prices are exclusive of abnormal underbuilding and other "special considerations" and are on a fluctuating basis as regards variations in rates of wages and prices of materials occurring after the "date of tender."