§ THE EARL OF LICHFIELD rose to ask His Majesty's Government when they propose to proceed with the Bill prepared by the Local Government Board to confer additional housing powers on county councils. The noble Earl said: My Lords, the position of affairs briefly is as follows. The county councils have for some time past been anxious to obtain legislation to enable them to borrow money for housing purposes to meet the demands of their employees (policemen, roadmen, &c.) on better terms than they can do at present. The county councils are not the local authorities under the Housing Acts. At present the district councils are the housing authorities under those Acts, and they are able to borrow money for repayment on a long term extending for as much as eighty years. The county councils, on the other hand, are only able to borrow for this purpose for thirty years, and they have to go into the open market and get the best terms they can there, whereas the local authorities under the Housing Act can borrow money on the best terms from the Public Works Loan Commissioners. The President of the Local Government Board has prepared a short Bill which gives power to the county councils to obtain money for the housing of employees on the same terms as are given to the local authorities under the Housing Acts—that is to say, spread over a term of eighty years. This is one of the provisions of a very useful little Bill which he has prepared and submitted to the county councils, and of which the county councils thoroughly approve. Anything that can help the housing question, in however small a degree, is of great importance at this present time, and I very much hope to get a favourable answer to the Question I have put—that is, that 325 the Government are prepared to bring forward this very useful and at the same time small measure which the Local Government Board have prepared, and that they would allow it, instead of being relegated to an official pigeon-hole, to be brought forward as soon as possible as a Government measure. I do not know whether it would be possible to introduce it into this House in the first instance, but I am pretty sure that, if that could be done, your Lordships would pass it through its various stages in a comparatively short time, and with great sympathy and very little difficulty. I hope, therefore, that I may receive a favourable reply from His Majesty's Government about the introduction of this Bill.
§ THE JOINT PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY OF THE NATIONAL SERVICE DEPARTMENT (VISCOUNT PEEL)My Lords, the Bill to which the noble Earl refers is a small measure which forms part of the general scheme of the Local Government Beard for securing the building of houses for the working classes after the war. The general scheme is under the consideration of and before the War Cabinet. The Bill to which the noble Earl refers proposes to confer further powers on county councils in connection with the housing of their employees.
§ VISCOUNT PEELIt is not necessarily a part of a bigger Bill—I said "of the scheme." Of course, they have a large scheme in contemplation, as the noble Earl knows, but this is that portion of it 326 which will require a Bill. The Bill confers further powers on county councils in connection with the housing of their employees, and also facilitates the machinery whereby a county council may be authorised to provide houses under the Housing Acts in place of another local authority who are not taking adequate steps to carry out their duty in the matter. The Departments have been in communication with the various interests concerned, including the County Councils Association, and I understand the noble Earl on this occasion is speaking on behalf of that Association.
§ VISCOUNT PEELI understand that the County Councils Association are strongly in favour of such a measure, and I will convey their views to the Department concerned. I cannot, of course, undertake to say what course the Government will take as regards the Bill, because, as I have told the noble Earl, the whole matter is before the Cabinet, but when the Cabinet comes to a decision, if that decision is favourable to the scheme, no doubt the Bill will be pressed forward as actively as possible. I will take note of the suggestion of the noble Earl that the Bill should be introduced into this House in the first instance.
THE EARL OF LICHFIELDI am much obliged to the noble Viscount, and I hope to refer to the matter on a future occasion and to jog the memory of His Majesty's Government in the hope that the Bill may see the light of day.
§ House adjourned at five minutes before nine o'clock.