§ 18. Mr. Brockwayasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs what decision he has reached on the request of the Slough Borough Council for authorisation of its plan to erect 2,431 houses between 1963 and 1969.
§ Sir K. JosephIn January my Department sent the council a letter, of which the hon. Member has had a copy saying that I wanted to reserve a decision on its proposals for 1965 to 1969 until it could show its capacity to handle the greatly increased programmes requested by it and approved in full for 1963 and 1964. The council has accepted this.
§ Mr. BrockwayIs the right hon. Gentleman aware of the desperate housing situation in Slough caused by people pouring into the town, meaning overcrowding, meaning young people cannot get a house to live in when they get married and meaning that there is general house hunger? Is he aware that in the letter to which he referred he made two points, first that the programme which the Slough Council has put forward would be ahead of the general rate of increase in the Government's expanded housing programme? Is he really saying that his great housing programme will not allow 349 houses a year? Secondly, he says that extra work would be put on to the building industry without any regard to its capacity. What about blocks of offices? What about luxury houses?
§ Mr. SpeakerWhat about the length of supplementary questions?
§ Sir K. JosephI am very glad to see that the local authority is doubling, indeed trying to treble, its rate of house building. I have approved treble the previous programme for 1963 and 1964. As soon as I can see that it can in fact increase its performance in this way, I can give a decision on the later programme.