§ 27 and 28. Mr. Albuasked the Minister of Health (1) whether he has been able to give further consideration to the possibility of giving local authorities power to control accommodation vacated by residents moving into houses in new towns which are subsidised out of the local authorities' rates;
(2) whether he is prepared to give local authorities power to control the re-letting of houses occupied by old people who can be more suitably housed in newly built old peoples' dwellings.
§ Mr. BevanI do not think that legislation could appropriately be introduced for the purpose suggested by my hon. Friend.
§ Mr. Albuis my right hon. Friend aware that one of the purposes of the New Towns Act will be rendered impossible if local authorities are not given some powers of this nature?
§ Mr. BevanNo, I hope it will not. We will have a look a the matter again, but it might easily be that people would be loath to transfer themselves into a new town if, immediately on transfer, the houses fell into somebody else's hands.