§ 12. Mr. Manuelasked the Secretary of State for Scotland the number of houses allocated to Ayr County Council for the current year; and how this allocation compares with the previous year.
Commander GalbraithIn January of this year my right hon. Friend authorised the building of 554 houses by the County Council. The corresponding authorisation last year was 600 houses. He will authorise further instalments when this is justified by the progress made with the substantial number of houses now under construction.
§ Mr. ManuelIs the hon. and gallant Gentleman aware that Ayr County Council are convinced that they will not be able to build as many houses this year, and will he not review the allocation he has made to them to give them an opportunity at least to equal the figure that they achieved last year?
Commander GalbraithLast year the county council completed 369 houses. At the moment they have 1,436 houses under construction. That is equal to more than two years' output. We think in these circumstances the allocation given them is adequate.
§ Mr. RossWill the hon. and gallant Gentleman do everything he can to ensure that the county council will not be held up because of shortage of vital materials?
§ Sir T. MooreAre these purely traditional houses? I take it that they do not include any of the prefabricated or aluminium or other houses?
Commander GalbraithWe were only building traditional houses, in the strict sense of the word, last year, though nontraditional houses are included in the number; but they are not the type of house to which my hon. and gallant Friend referred.
§ Mr. Patrick MaitlandWill my hon. and gallant Friend take steps to make it known to all county councils affected that allocations this year bear a direct relationship to previous performance?