§ Major McCallumasked the Minister of Works what was the cost of acquiring the 199W building site for the erection of the prefabricated houses in Port Ellen, Isle of Islay; what the overhead charges for the preparation of plans, including professional fees of surveyors, engineers, etc., amount to; what was the cost of preparing the site for erecting the houses; what amount is incurred for the fees and expenses of measurers, clerks of works, electrical, mechanical and structural engineers; and what will be the approximate total cost per completed house.
§ Mr. KeyThe cost of acquiring the building site, the overhead charges for the preparation of plans including professional fees of surveyors, engineers, etc. and the cost of the site preparation work all fall to be met by the local authority and I am informed that no information is available as to the expenditure likely to be incurred under these heads. The items of expenditure for which the Ministry of Works is responsible are fully detailed in the White Paper on the Temporary Housing Programme, Command 7304. The cost of these items in the case of the houses at Port Ellen, which are of the Arcon type, is estimated at £1,337 per house as compared with the average of £1,209 shown in the appendix to the White Paper.