§ LORD AMHERST OF HACKNEYMy Lords, I beg to ask the first question which stands in the name of my noble friend the Earl of Selborne.
§ [The question was as follows:
§ To ask His Majesty's Government whether they can state whether any, and if so how many, of the 7 000 houses which the Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced have been completed in rural areas, have in fact been let to agricultural labourers.]
§ LORD HENDERSONMy Lords, I think that the figures quoted by the Chancellor of the Exchequer were intended to relate to the number of new permanent houses completed by rural district councils at the end of April, 1947. We have only recently begun to obtain returns of the number of houses let to agricultural workers, but according to the latest returns 1,819 new permanent houses have been so let.