§ Mr. BUCHANANasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he can state the total number of householders in the Gorbals district that are living in houses which are over-crowded, insanitary, or otherwise unfit; and the total number of houses which have been provided for persons living in Gorbals under the above conditions in the past two years?
§ Mr. ELLIOTThe overcrowding survey showed that at the end of 1935 the number of occupied houses in the Gorbals Parliamentary Division which were either overcrowded or insanitary was 9,335. Of these 1,716 were insanitary and 7,619 were fit houses reported as overcrowded. The Corporation inform me that during the last two years 542 families have been rehoused from overcrowded or insanitary houses in that Division.
§ Mr. BUCHANANasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware that in many tenements in Glasgow as many as 40 persons have to use 2286W houses in each of the three schemes mentioned?
§ Mr. ELLIOTFollowing is the information:
the same lavatory, and that frequently the lavatory is out of use and often as a result 60 or 70 persons have to use the same lavatory; and whether his Department proposes to take any steps to remedy this situation?
§ Mr. ELLIOTIt is true that there are considerable numbers of cases in which four, five and sometimes more families have to use the same water-closet. The worst cases occur in properties which it is hoped will shortly be demolished under the Housing Acts. In such properties it is obviously inexpedient to require heavy expenditure on alteration or reconstruction for the provision of separate lavatory accommodation; in many cases such works would be entirely impracticable. The remedy lies in rehousing the tenants and I need hardly say that I am doing everything possible to encourage progress in this direction.
§ Mr. STEPHENasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many houses were built in Glasgow last year for which subsidy was paid; the corresponding figures 2287W for this year; and the highest and lowest inclusive rents which are being paid for these houses?
§ Mr. ELLIOTThe number of State assisted houses completed in Glasgow in 1935 was 3,855; the corresponding figure for 1936 up to the end of November was 1,470. The highest and lowest inclusive rents being paid for these houses are 20s. 8d. per week and 6s. 11d. per week respectively.