§ 12. Mr. Manuelasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will consider allocating extra houses this year to the burghs of Irvine and Stewarton, in view of the fact that these burghs have many families living in old Army huts, which are rapidly becoming uninhabitable.
§ Mr. T. FraserSince March, 1949, 132 houses have been allocated to Irvine and 22 to Stewarton for general housing purposes. In addition, my right hon. Friend has just made a special allocation of 20 houses to Irvine and 14 to Stewarton to assist the authorities to rehouse families whom they having living in adapted huts. The houses under construction and those authorised but not yet started in these burghs are as many as the local industry can tackle in the meantime, but the position will be reviewed in the light of further progress.
Commander GalbraithIs the hon. Gentleman not aware that such small allocations are not sufficient to enable a proper sequence of building operations or planning to be carried on?
§ Mr. FraserIt is not sufficient to look only at the allocations. We must also have a look at the number of houses under construction, or the number of houses in the " pipe-line " at the present time.
§ Mr. ManuelWhile I am very pleased with the attention that my right hon. Friend is giving to the two burghs I have mentioned, about which I think I know a little bit more than hon. Gentlemen opposite, may I ask whether he will direct more houses to these areas whenever the local building industry is able to get on with the job?
§ Mr. FraserThat is always a factor to be taken into account.
§ Mrs. Jean MannIs the Burgh of Irvine the burgh that had to be forced by the Commissioners under the 1930 Act to build 700 houses for their own people?
§ Mr. FraserYes, I think it was.
§ 19. Captain Duncanasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what increased allocations of houses he has given to the burghs in south Angus and to Angus county as a result of the change in policy of the Government; and how many of them are for erection by private enterprise.
§ Mr. T. FraserAs regards the first part of the Question, it is not proposed to allocate any more houses to these authorities meantime. As regards the second part, I have nothing to add to the statement made by my right hon. Friend on 29th March.
§ Captain DuncanIs the hon. Gentleman aware that there is a waiting list of over 2,000, and in those circumstances will he reconsider his decision not to allocate any extra houses?
§ Mr. FraserThere are 367 houses under construction in the areas of these authorities at the present time, and a total of 486 houses that are either tendered for and not yet begun or allocated and not yet put out to tender.