§ 9. Mr. Collinsasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he is aware that his instructions in respect to Section 4 of the Requisitioned Houses Act were not received by local authorities until three months after the operation of the Act; and, in view of this delay, if he will take steps to extend by three months the period during which his Department will accept full responsibility for compensation paid to owners under Section 4.
§ Mr. SandysI would refer the hon. Member to my reply on 28th February to the hon. Member for Islington, East (Mr. E. Fletcher).
§ Mr. CollinsWould the Minister agree that local authorities are most cooperative in this matter and do their best to carry out the regulations? Does he not agree that this delay means that they have not been given the time which was intended under the Act, and that this means an unexpected burden on the ratepayers? Will the right hon. Gentleman look at the matter again?
§ Mr. SandysI do not agree about that. In fact, the results already obtained far exceed anything I had hoped for. Out of 37,000 owners to whom formal invitations were sent, 14,000 have already agreed to give statutory tenancies to their licensees.