§ 7. Mr. Frank Allaunasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what is his estimate of the number of council houses to be built in England, Wales and Scotland this year; to what extent it is his policy to reverse the fall in council house building in the last seven years; and what steps he proposes to take in the matter.
§ Mr. BrookeThe number of council houses built depends in the first instance on the decisions of individual local authorities, but I see no reason to expect any marked change from last year. The total rate of house building continued in 1959 at the level of about 300,000 a year. It remains the policy of the Government to maintain a high level of house-building while keeping the charge to public funds within bounds.
§ Mr. AllaunBefore I ask my supplementary question, Mr. Speaker, may I point out that I did not ask the Minister that question? I asked him about council houses. However, I will ask my supplementary question. Is it not a fact that most families cannot afford to buy their own houses and are dependent on the building of council houses, which building has been halved since 1954? Is this shrinkage not mainly due to the doubling of interest rates since 1954? Will the Minister tell the House if he intends to do anything about this?
§ Mr. BrookeThe outstanding feature of house building in recent years has been the astonishingly rapid rise in the number of people who evidently can afford to buy their own houses and want to buy their own houses. The number of council houses completed in 1959 was not, as implied in this Question, lower than before. It was, in fact, higher than before. This year I expect it to be at about the same level as last year.