§ 15. Mr. Rossiasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what is his latest estimate of the number of surplus houses which will be available by 1973.
§ Mr. GreenwoodThe overall numerical surplus of houses over households in 1973 is still expected to be of the order of 1 million, but I cannot stress too emphatically that this surplus will not be evenly spread throughout the country and that shortages and bad housing, as I have repeatedly said, will persist in some areas.
§ Mr. RossiIs there any connection between the answer the Minister has just given and the fact that he has declinied to accept from me a Question about the number of homeless families? Is he washing his hands of the plight of homeless families by saying that it is the responsibility of another Department?
§ Mr. GreenwoodThat is a most unworthy remark. The Question was transferred because in the terms in which it was drafted it was considered to be more appropriately a matter within the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services.
§ Mr. HefferIs my right hon. Friend aware of the fact that the Conservative Party in Liverpool says that there will be a surplus of council houses by 1972, but that at the same time the Conservative Party, both in Liverpool and in the country as a whole, is saying that the Government's housing policy has failed? Would my right hon. Friend take into consideration the fact that we could not possibly have a surplus by 1972, and that the Conservatives are using this as an excuse not to go ahead with a proper building programme of council houses in an area like Liverpool which badly needs them?
§ Mr. GreenwoodCertainly in conurbations like Merseyside shortage and bad housing will continue for some time to come, even though slum clearance is being carried out. One can only deduce from the fact that so many Conservative authorities are stopping their housing programmes that they regard the problem in their areas as already solved.