§ 9. Wing Commander Bullusasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many new houses have been built in England and Wales from October, 1951, until the latest available date.
§ Mr. SandysBetween October, 1951, and March, 1955, 903,563 have been completed in England and Wales.
§ Wing Commander BullusWhile thanking my right hon. Friend and congratulating him and his predecessor on this magnificent performance, may I ask whether he has the figures available for the whole of Great Britain for the same period?
§ Mr. SandysI have not the precise figures but I can tell my hon. and gallant Friend that since this Government have been in office well over a million houses have been completed in Great Britain.
§ Mr. JayMay I take it that the figure given by the Minister refers not to houses which were commenced after October, 1951, but to those completed after that date, many of which—and perhaps he can tell me how many—were begun before that date?
§ Mr. SandysOf course it includes houses which were started before October, 1951, but the position at the end of March, 1955, is that the carry-over is considerably greater than that which we inherited from the Labour Party.
§ Mr. ShinwellCould this Question by any chance have been associated with the coming Election?
§ Mr. SandysI suspected that the supplementary question by the right hon. Member for Battersea, North (Mr. Jay) had some connection with it.