§ 22. Mr. Willisasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will expand the aluminium house emergency programme to enable those local authorities anxious to receive an increased quota to do so.
§ 23. Mr. William Rossasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware that 1,000 workers employed in manufacture of aluminium houses at Blackburn 1796 (Dumbarton) Ltd.'s factory have been discharged since July; whether their dismissal is occasioned by shortage of material; and what steps he is taking to ensure that this labour force is fully employed to meet Scotland's housing needs.
§ Mr. WoodburnIt has been decided that the resources available for building houses should henceforward be concentrated on the building of permanent houses. In consequence of this decision, the building of temporary and permanent substandard size houses is coming to an end. A proportion of this firm's workers is being discharged as its orders for the aluminium houses reach completion. The firm are, however, developing a new type of house which, if successful, may enable them to re-employ a number of their discharged workers.
§ Mr. WillisHow is this emergency programme of 1,000 fixed; and would not an increase in this programme help to solve some of the labour difficulties about which we had a reply earlier this afternoon?
§ Mr. RossDoes my right hon. Friend realise that the local authorities still demand this type of house and as last week he said that shortage of labour was the limiting factor in housing, is he prepared to allow this labour to be dissipated and not get on with the job?
§ Mr. WoodburnThis is dependant on a principle laid down that temporary housing and substandard size housing is to come to an end. That is a question of policy, which cannot be debated by question and answer.
§ Mr. Henderson StewartIs it right to abandon this temporary housing policy without a complete assurance to Scotland that alternative permanent houses will be provided?
§ Mr. WoodburnI have already said in the answer to the original Question:
The firm are, however, developing a new type of housewhich is a permanent house andwhich, if successful, may enable them to re-employ a number of their discharged workers.
§ 24. Mr. William Rossasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has 1797 considered the protest regarding Kilmarnock's 1949 housing allocation from Bonnyton Ward Committee; and what reply he has made.
§ Mr. WoodburnI hope soon to be in a position to write to the Town Council about their programme for 1949.
§ Mr. RossSurely the Secretary of State realises that unless new houses are started there will not be any houses to finish by 1950?
§ Mr. WoodburnWe are in constant touch with all the local authorities, including Kilmarnock, on their programmes, and that point is being carefully borne in mind.
§ 27. Mr. Rankinasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what special steps are being taken to deal with the housing of tuberculosis patients in Glasgow.
§ Mr. WoodburnI understand that the Corporation allocate 90 per cent. of new houses to families from overcrowded dwellings, of which 10 per cent. are allocated to tuberculosis families. In addition, 400 permanent aluminium houses have been allocated to Glasgow out of the special programme of 1,000 for areas where the incidence of tuberculosis is high.
§ Mr. RankinWhile thanking my right hon. Friend for that fairly welcome news, may I ask him whether he is aware that at this moment, 1,500 houses are needed immediately in Glasgow to deal with open cases of pulmonary tuberculosis, and at present that need is being met at the rate of 200 houses per year, and that, therefore, this 400 additional houses will not half meet the problem?
§ 28 and 29. Mr. Rankinasked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many local authorities have their housing programmes in balance;
(2) what steps are being taken to encourage local authorities whose housing programmes are in balance to proceed with new schemes.
§ Mr. WoodburnSo far as we can judge on our present information very few local authorities in Scotland are in balance with their housing programme. As local authorities get into balance I am ready to consider their position and 1798 in a few cases I have found it possible to authorise the commencement of new building.
§ Mr. RankinWould my right hon. Friend tell us what steps he is taking to urge local authorities to get their housing schemes in balance?
§ Mr. WoodburnEvery possible step is taken. If any local authorities need prodding they will be prodded, but it is fair to say that local authorities in Scotland; are doing everything possible in the circumstances in relation to labour and material to get their housing programmes in balance.
§ Mr. WillisArising from my right hon. Friend's original answer, which was not too clear, is he prepared to allow local authorities whose programmes are in balance to go ahead? Can my right hon. Friend give a categorical assurance on that point?
§ Mr. WoodburnI have already answered that question.
§ 31. Mr. Gallacherasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many houses have been allocated to Fife for 1949; how many of these are to meet present needs; and how many reserved for in coming mineworkers.
§ Mr. WoodburnIt is proposed to start work on 598 miners' houses in Fife in 1949, half of which will be for resident miners and half for miners coming from other districts. In addition it is proposed to start 66 houses for agricultural workers and I am prepared, if house building progress in the county warrants it, to consider the starting of further houses for general needs.
§ Mr. GallacherIn view of the urgent need for housing both for miners coming into Fife and for those already there, will the Secretary of State immediately take up the question of a bigger allocation of houses to Fife?
§ Mr. WoodburnI have just given the hon. Member a very favourable answer. I suggest that he should study it.
32. Lieut.-Commander Clark Hutchisonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what materials used in the construction of houses are at present in short supply.
§ Mr. WoodburnThe materials position has improved in recent months but a greater production by the industries concerned of certain types of cast iron goods and of electrical cable is required to meet the current needs of housing schemes. In addition, while substantial stocks of timber are now held in this country, it is still not possible to remove controls over the allocation of timber to meet the housing demands of local authorities because of the many other priority claims which have to be considered.
Lieut.-Commander HutchisonWould it be true to say that the slow progress in building is in no way due to the shortage of materials?
§ Mr. WoodburnThe progress of housing depends on a great many factors. The principal factor curtailing building completion at the moment is certain classes of labour, as my right hon. Friend has just stated. Undoubtedly quicker completion could take place if the labour were there.
§ Sir T. MooreIs not the real factor the restrictions imposed by the Government upon the building of houses for sale?
§ Mr. Emrys HughesCould the Secretary of State say what are these priority claims over housing, and are armaments to be one of those claims?
§ Mr. WoodburnMy hon. Friend has been pressing me to proceed more speedily with the supply of water. Factories are required for people to work in, and a great many other things which contribute to the progress of the community have to be considered as well as housing.
§ Mr. RankinIs not my right hon. Friend aware that the chief difficulty is the tremendous lack of attention which the Tory Party paid to this problem in the period before the war?