HC Deb 09 March 1950 vol 472 cc465-6
30. Mr. Shurmer

asked the Minister of Health if he is aware that despite the extra allocation of house building permits by his Department to the Birmingham City Council, there is concern among the many thousands of applicants in that city for municipal houses, now living in rooms, at the slow progress in house building; and if he will make immediate inquiries into the reasons for this.

Mr. Bevan

Yes, Sir. The best methods for expediting, progress have been and are under consideration by my Department and the city council.

Mr. Shurmer

Is my right hon. Friend aware that despite the fact that there is a very large number of applicants on the housing register in that city, who are living in rooms, there have never been more than 1,400 building operatives building municipal houses, and that houses go up at the rate of only 25 per week, despite the fact that his Department has given a large number of permits to that city?

Mr. Bevan

Yes, there have been some local difficulties, and, we think, some defects on the part of the local corporation. These matters are under discussion.

Mr. R. S. Hudson

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that at the present rate of housing those now on the waiting list it will be over 30 years before they are all housed?

Mr. Bevan

The right hon. Gentleman is applying that either to Birmingham or to the country as a whole. If he is applying it to Birmingham, I can tell him that my Department grants far more allocations to the corporation than the corporation take up.

Mr. Blackburn

Will not my right hon. Friend corroborate this fact, that since this corporation has been controlled by the Tories it has been one of the two corporations in the country in whose areas the limiting factor on house production is not supplies of raw materials but the inability of the builders to get on with the job, owing to their own fault?

Mr. Bevan

It is a fact, as has already been disclosed, that the corporation, for reasons best known to themselves, find themselves unable to operate the allocations given by my Ministry.