§ 27. Mr. Collinsasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he is aware that although the owner of a requisitioned house who accepts the licensee as tenant receives compensation for loss of right to vacant possession, he can also obtain vacant possession within five years if the local authority rehouses the tenant; and if he will take steps to remove the possibility of such a misuse of public moneys.
§ Mr. SandysI think it most unlikely that there will be many cases of this kind.
§ Mr. CollinsIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that his answer means that if local authorities are not to be parties to this double payment of public funds they must keep the tenant in the requisitioned house for four years or more? Many of these houses are very sub-standard, and it means that the tenants are being deprived of the chance, to which they are entitled, of a decent flat through the waiting list. This is grossly unfair and is a gross misuse of public funds. Will not the Minister look at this matter again?
§ Mr. SandysThere was plenty of opportunity to discuss all this when we debated at great length the provisions of the Requisitioned Houses and Housing (Amendment) Act, but I really believe that this is largely a hypothetical problem and I would prefer to wait until it arises. All I would say now is that I feel confident that local authorities, in deciding which owners to approach with this offer of compensation, will have regard to the question whether the accommodation in which a tenant is living is of a suitable kind and is likely to provide him with a permanent home.
§ Mr. CollinsWill the Minister look at particular cases? He says that he does not think they are likely to arise, but if they do arise will he look at them and do something about them?
§ Mr. SandysThey have not arisen yet.
§ 28. Mr. Collinsasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he is aware that large numbers of two- and three-roomed flats, in requisitioned houses, which have become empty, cannot be relet by the local authority, because the owners withhold consent; that this accentuates the grave housing shortage in certain Metropolitan boroughs; and if he will, by regulation or otherwise, amend the Requisitioned Houses Act, so that local authorities can continue in effective control of such dwellings until 1960.
§ Mr. SandysThe hon. Member is under a misapprehension. The power to permit local authorities to retain control of requisitioned dwellings which become vacant is already provided in Section 3 of the Act, and the exercise of this power does not require the owner's consent.
§ Mr. CollinsIs the Minister aware that the Question is directed at dwellings which are let in several tenancies? If one tenancy becomes vacant it can be relet only with the consent of the owner. If he withholds consent, it cannot be relet. Will the Minister look into the matter, because a large number of these dwellings are empty and cannot be relet or used by the local authorities, particularly in connection with slum clearance?
§ Mr. SandysThis point was very thoroughly discussed, and I think there was general agreement on it on all sides of the House during the debate on the Requisitioned Houses Act. The hon. Member is referring, I think, not to flats but to individual rooms or groups of rooms which are not self-contained dwellings. It was agreed on all sides of the House, I think, that it was not fair to require an owner to receive back odd rooms in a house when what he wanted was to get back the complete dwelling in order to live in it himself or relet it as a dwelling. We did not wish to perpetuate this arrangement whereby people are living in sub-standard conditions in odd rooms dotted here and there about a house.