HC Deb 01 December 1948 vol 458 cc189-90W
92. Mr. Enroll

asked the Secretary of State for War what accommodation is at present under construction, separately, for other ranks and officers and their respective dependants at Fayid, General Headquarters, M.E.L.F.; how far this will go towards meeting current deficiencies; and why progress, to date, has been so slow.

Mr. M. Stewart

There are no quarters at present under construction at Fayid, but plans to build 100 temporary married quarters in Egypt in the immediate future, including 40 at Fayid, are about to be put into operation. It is hoped to build further married quarters next year and a proportion of these will be at Fayid. There are at present 354 married quarters in this area. In Egypt there are 445 British Army officers and 720 other ranks on the immediate waiting list for quarters. It is not possible to give separate figures for officers' and other ranks' married quarters in Egypt, since some of the quarters there are interchangeable between the two categories. Progress on married quarters in Egypt has so far been slow because of the limited building capacity available, and the higher priority necessarily given to housing the Army and its installations.