§ 39. Mr. Beswickasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he is aware that many local authorities on new housing estates are still providing shop premises of a design which does not permit efficient retailing services; and if he 1028 will call their attention again to the necessity for greater care in the design of shop premises.
§ Mr. H. BrookeI am not aware of any such general problem, but if the hon. Member has any particular case in mind I will gladly look into it.
§ Mr. BeswickWhat I had in mind was the fact that many of these shops are without any provision for storage or warehouse space; that refrigeration is quite impossible to fit in, and that new forms of self-service shops are apparently unheard of in many of these council housing estates? These are the kind of points which might be considered with great advantage to the shopping public.
§ Mr. BrookeI will certainly consider that, but shops on local authority housing estates are not subsidised, and normally it does not fall to my Ministry to intervene.