HC Deb 11 February 1958 vol 582 cc181-3
6. Mr. MacColl

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether he is aware that the proposals for slum clearance submitted by local authorities under Section 1 of the Housing Repairs and Rent Act, 1954, do not provide an accurate assessment of the amount of work to be done; and whether he will invite them to submit further proposals, based on more detailed surveys, and taking into account, among other things, deterioration due to the effluxion of time since the original conclusions were reached.

Mr. H. Brooke

Local authorities still have three years' work in hand from their first five-year programmes of slum clearance. They are free to submit modifying proposals at any time, but in my view a second comprehensive survey now would be premature. It would only interfere with the main task of clearance.

Mr. MacColl

Is the Minister aware that the survey was made in a great hurry in response to pressure from his Department and was described in the document as being only a broad estimate? In view of his sensitiveness to misleading figures, does he not think it time to bring it up to date?

Mr. Brooke

The hon. Member says the survey was made in a great hurry, but it was made in accordance with an Act passed by Parliament. I think that 847,000 houses were estimated to be unfit. There are those to be cleared and a great deal of work to be done. Any local authority which wishes to put forward modifying proposals is fully at liberty to do so at any time.

Mr. Mitchison

Is the Minister aware that there are a great many houses on the borderline and houses are getting older, and that therefore a further survey would show more houses which ought to be cleared?

Mr. Brooke

I and my hon. Friends are more anxious to press on with the work of clearance than to engage staff on the task of further surveys.