HC Deb 10 June 1952 vol 502 cc25-6
55. Mr. Braine

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many new town development corporations are issuing private building licences to suitable applicants; how many such licences have been issued; and what proportion of the housing allocation they represent in the case of each corporation concerned.

Mr. Marples

Seventy-two licences have so far been issued or approved for issue by local authorities on the recommendation of the development corporations in England and Wales. These figures represent a very small proportion of the corporations' total housing programme.

Mr. Braine

Does the answer mean that some development corporations are not issuing licences at all? Is it the policy of the Government to encourage house ownership outside new towns but not inside?

Mr. Marples

The policy of the Department is to encourage private enterprise licences in the case of development corporations in suitable cases. For the information of my hon. Friend, "suitable cases" means, for example, persons coming from outside the designated areas whose residence in the new towns arises through development by the corporation as a new town, such as those from the exporting authority's area. Also suitable are cases where persons already resident in the designated areas are dispossessed.