HC Deb 20 November 1963 vol 684 cc982-3
32. Mr. Manuel

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many municipal houses were built in Scotland in each year from 1952 to 1962.

Mr. Noble

The total number of houses built by local authorities was 244,661, and by other public agencies 55,189. I shall, with permission, circulate figures for each year in the Official Report.

Mr. Manuel

Would not the Secretary of State agree that the figures regarding completions given last week by the Prime Minister were misleading in relation to Scotland? Would he agree that while in 1957 24,000 municipal houses were built, by 1962 this figure had dropped to 16,000? Is he aware that in 1957 completions from all sources amounted to 32,000 and that by 1962 that figure had dropped to 26,000? While it is generally agreed that we have some of the worst housing conditions in Western Europe, is not it a terrible thing that these figures should drop by approximately 6,000 over the period which I have indicated?

Mr. Noble

I think it a pity that the figures dropped. But the hon. Gentleman knows very well that during the last two years local authorities have

Year Local Authorities S.S.H.A. New Towns Development Corporations Government Departments Total by all public agencies
1952 … … 22,393 4,745 485 797 28,420
1953 … … 29,719 4,957 1,316 946 36,938
1954 … … 29,748 4,117 1,466 799 36,130
1955 … … 24,210 3,745 1,323 1,137 30,415
1956 … … 22,084 3,133 1,073 887 27,177
1957 … … 24,239 3,136 951 493 28,819
1958 … … 22,620 3,277 1,474 643 28,016
1959 … … 18,665 2,493 1,551 348 23,057
1960 … … 17,913 2,071 1,519 433 21,936
1961 … … 16,823 1,453 1,265 489 20,030
1962 … … 16,245 967 1,576 124 18,912
Total … … 244,661 34,094 13,999 7,096 299,850