§ 18. Mrs. Middletonasked the Minister of Health whether he will follow up Circular 138/45, paragraph 2 (i), which empowers local authorities to issue building licences authorising the rebuilding of cost-of-works houses by a further circular instructing local authorities that special consideration should now be given to the cases of persons who have been given only value payments in respect of their war-destroyed homes, except in those cases where the sites upon which such houses previously stood come within reconstruction areas.
§ Mr. BevanI have asked my principal housing officers to give sympathetic consideration to a proposal from a local authority to issue a building licence to a person who wishes to use a value payment to build a new house for his own occupation on the site of his destroyed house, 2262 provided that there are no town-planning objections.
§ Mr. BramallCan the Minister say how far the granting of licences for these value payment houses will be limited in amount?
§ Mr. BevanThey would have to come out of the quota of houses to the local authority in the area, because that allocation is based on the supply of materials and labour which is available.