§ 15. Mr. Marplesasked the Minister of Works whether he is satisfied that the stocks of softwood are sufficient to avoid dislocation in the building industry in the next few months; and for distribution purposes what is the lowest stock of softwood required to keep our present building programme supplied with softwood.
§ Mr. StokesI would refer the hon. Member to my reply of 22nd May, to which I have nothing to add.
§ Mr. MarplesDoes the right hon. Gentleman not realise that a certain amount of dislocation in the building industry is already taking place? Is he aware that in the case of some Merseyside building contractors, who received an order for 311 dwellings requiring 500 standards of timber, the licensing control granted a licence for only 60 standards 12 and the contractors cannot purchase any timber at all even against the licence for 60 standards? Does not the right hon. Gentleman consider that that is dislocation?
§ Mr. StokesI can only call the attention of the hon. Gentleman to the fact that recent arrangements have been made for the importation of quite a large supply of timber from Russia. This is a matter for my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade, and I will certainly call his attention to the case to which the hon. Member refers.