Agricultural Workers (Hansard, 25 March 1948)

§ 16. Mr. Bossom
asked the Minister of Health if he will take steps to secure that local authorities in rural areas shall allocate more council houses to agricultural workers; and that farmers may be able to obtain licences to construct houses for farm workers with less delay.

§ 25. Brigadier Peto
asked the Minister of Health whether he will allow some licences to be issued for the building of houses for agricultural workers by landowners and farmers in view of the urgent need in rural districts, the fact that material is available, and that such houses would be additional to the quota already allocated to R.D.Cs?

§ Mr. Bevan
Licences are issued within the capacity of local building resources for the building of houses for agricultural workers. I am sending the hon. Members a copy of a circular which was sent to rural housing authorities on the allocation of council houses for this purpose.

§ Mr. Bossom
Would the Minister answer the last part of my Question as well?

§ Mr. Bevan
I have answered it, and, if the hon. Member will look at the circular, he will see that all the information is contained there.

§ Mr. Bossom
This question applies to farmers getting licences without the terrific trouble which they have experienced. Cannot they be given an easier passage to get, the houses built? They are ready, the workers are ready, but they cannot get the houses.

§ Mr. Bevan
Farm workers do not live in licences; they live in houses, and it is no use issuing licences in excess of the capacity of the local resources to build houses.

§ Brigadier Peto
As I did not hear what the first part of the Minister's answer was, would the right hon. Gentleman repeat it?

§ Brigadier Peto
On a point of Order, Mr. Speaker, may I seek your guidance? When you called Question No. 16 addressed to the Minister of Health, he very indistinctly said that he would answer my Question, No. 25, at the same time. I did not in consequence hear the first part of his answer. I rose and asked him to repeat it to you. Am I not entitled in a case like that to have the answer repeated?

§ Mr. Speaker
I did not know that the Minister refused. I remember that he looked at me. I did not hear the hon. and gallant Gentleman. I did not quite know that his Question was being answered at the same time. It is impossible to have the answer now. All I can say is that I recommend him to read the answer when it appears in HANSARD.

§ Brigadier Peto
Further to that point of Order, Sir. If you did not hear my Question called at the same time as it was going to be answered, how could possibly hear it?

§ Mr. Speaker
I suffer from various disadvantages which do not affect hon. Members. I have no amplifier anywhere near me, but I understand that hon. Members do have amplifiers, which enable them to hear.

§ Mr. Oliver Stanley
On that point of Order, is it not a fact that Ministers can only answer Questions together, with the permission of the hon. Members concerned? That would seem to imply that if one of the hon. Members concerned asked for a separate answer, he is entitled to have it.

§ Mr. Speaker
That is perfectly true. Actually, I did call the hon. and gallant Member for No. 25, but he did not get up to ask it. He had his opportunity then.