§ Colonel WOODCOCKasked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the annual increase in this country of im- 1625W ported foreign bricks of inferior quality, he will stipulate that British-made bricks shall be specified in contracts for houses built under the housing schemes, in a similar manner to the Office of Works, who always stipulate in their contracts that British bricks shall be used?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINSection 10 of the Housing Act, 1924, provides that, in approving proposals for the construction of houses, the Minister of Health shall not impose any conditions which would prevent the materials required being purchased in the cheapest market at home or abroad. The Government have, however, urged local authorities to arrange that all contracts for or incidental to works carried out by them should, in the absence of special circumstances, be placed in this country. I may say that the bricks imported during the year 1925 were under three per cent. of the total estimated home production.