HC Deb 06 February 1953 vol 510 cc2269-70

3.45 p.m.

The Minister of Housing and Local Government (Mr. Harold Macmillan)

I am grateful to you, Mr. Speaker. for allowing me to intervene for a few moments to make an announcement of considerable interest and importance.

The Government have decided as an immediate short-term measure to pay a lodging allowance to householders who are affording shelter to victims of the flood. The allowances will be paid for any shelter given since the floods began. The full details will be announced as soon as possible. In view of the great importance of getting the machinery in motion rapidly, I feel sure that Members would not feel aggrieved if we settle and announce the details before Parliament meets next week. We shall, of course, use the Press and the radio to get the scheme into operation.

Perhaps I might add one point on which Members would like to be reassured. This payment will be made without any form of test of means being applied.

Mr. Herbert Morrison (Lewisham, South)

I am sure that the House generally will welcome in principle the statement of the right hon. Gentleman. Having generally welcomed this statement, and appreciating that details will be published, may I ask the right hon. Gentleman to say through what channels the payments will be made? Can he say whether it will be done through the local authorities or the Assistance Boards, and to what authority application should be made?

Mr. Macmillan

If I might, I would rather leave until later the details of how it is to be done. What I wanted was to ensure that the House would not feel that we had been discourteous if we got this scheme out tonight or tomorrow, because I know the great importance of getting it out in the first week, if we possibly can, so that householders know what to do. Also, it will help us to clear the rest centres and perhaps keep people from going back from lodgings into the rest centres. I hope that the right hon. Gentleman will excuse me. We are still working out the final details. I hope to be able to announce them either tonight or tomorrow morning.

Sir Herbert Williams (Croydon, East)

May I say how delighted I am with this announcement? It seems so much better than any indiscriminate requisitioning of empty houses which have no facilities to enable people to live in any kind of comfort. I hope that my right hon. Friend will arrange extensive publicity. This announcement is too late for the evening papers throughout the country. I understand that the B.B.C. is to be used, and I hope that the announcement will be repeated tomorrow, because people do not listen in to every news broadcast. It is vitally important that this announcement should have the most extensive publicity not only tonight but tomorrow.

Mr. A. G. Bottomley (Rochester and Chatham)

Would not the Minister agree that it is much better that people should have houses to live in, even if it means requisitioning them, than that they should he lodged with other people?