§ 19 and 20. Mr. Mossasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs (1) whether he will reconsider his decision not to allow the construction of 22 houses at Warton in the Atherstone rural district in the County of Warwick;
(2) what representations he has received from the Atherstone Rural District Council concerning the construction of 22 houses at Warton; and whether he will state his reply.
§ Mr. H. BrookeI have already agreed that the council should put 67 dwellings into tender this year. The council has asked for this to be increased to 89 because it claims that it was delayed by my Department in approving the layout for its Warton site. It is not in dispute that there were difficulties about the layout proposed by the council, which took time to resolve: but this particular problem 1131 had no bearing on the size of programme I could authorise the council to put in hand this year. I shall be prepared later in the year to review its request for an increase.
§ Mr. MossWhile welcoming the right hon. Gentleman's approval of the houses, may I ask whether he is aware that the Atherstone Rural District Council has completed only 12 houses this year, as compared with an annual average of 122 since 1951–52? Is he aware that since 1956 preparations have been made at Warton to build houses to remove slum dwellings? Would not it therefore be a good idea if the council were allowed to get on with those as well?
§ Mr. BrookeWhat I have done is to approve a programme of 67 houses this year, which should cover the immediate slum clearance commitments, and I have told the hon. Member that I am prepared to look at the matter again later in the year.