THE EARL OF MANSFIELDasked His Majesty's Government whether they will state why the County Council of Perth has been permitted to construct only half the number of houses allowed to Perth City, although the population of the landward area is two-thirds greater than that of the burgh, and if they are prepared to rectify this anomaly by the allocation of several hundred more houses to the county council, to be put in hand immediately.
§ LORD MORRISONUp to the end of October, 1947, the Department of Health approved the entire programmes of both the county and the city without restriction. In this period the programme of the county council was for 358 permanent houses, and that of the city was for 860 houses. Since then the county council have had tenders approved or have been authorised to obtain tenders for 164 additional houses, compared with 142 in the burgh. Although the population of the county is greater than that of the burgh (61,500 compared with 39,500) its housing needs were estimated by the local 331WA authority in 1946 as relatively less—1,864 compared with 3,000.
The starting of any large additional number of houses at present would take material and labour from existing work and, instead of providing extra houses, would only hinder the completion of the houses already under construction. My right honourable friend will, however, have full regard to the needs of Perth County in making further allocations of houses to local authorities, which he hopes to do at an early date.
THE EARL OF MANSFIELDasked His Majesty's Government whether they are aware that at the annual conference of the Scottish Branch of the Institute of Housing held in Perth on March 31 it was stated by Mr. J. J. Robertson, Under-Secretary of State for Scotland, that 80 to 90 families were now being housed daily in Scotland, and if they will state whether this alleged figure of some 30,000 houses annually completed in Scotland bears any relation to fact.
§ LORD MORRISONThe following table shows the number of families re-housed in Scotland in 1948:
New permanent houses 21,211 New temporary houses 7,594 Use of existing premises (conversions and adaptations, requisitioned properties, and service camps) 3,189 Total 31,994 This gives an average daily figure of about 87 families.