§ Mr. Garry Allighanasked the Minister of Works (1) whether he can give an assurance that normally the prefabricated houses supplied to local authorities are equipped with all the necessary fitments to enable them to be occupied immediately on erection; and why the first of 118 being supplied to Gravesend Borough Council has arrived without practically all its internal fitments;
(2) whether he is aware that on 22nd December, 1944, Gravesend Borough Council were allocated 118 prefabricated houses; that on 27th November, 1945, they were informed that these would be supplied within a month, and that up to date only half of one house has arrived; what are the causes of the delay, and what steps he has taken to remove these causes.
§ Mr. TomlinsonIt is not the practice to deliver the fitments for temporary houses until the erection of the hull has made progress. I informed my hon. Friend on 27th November that I hoped that the erection of temporary houses would start at Gravesend within the next month, but I regret that owing to a temporary hold-up in the rate of production the first hull did not in fact arrive until 15th January. Since then further hulls have been delivered and progress with their erection and with the supply of fitments will be made as quickly as possible