§ 112. Mr. Marplesasked the Minister of Works whether he will make a statement giving detailed information of the demands which will be made on the building industry as a result of rearmament.
§ Mr. StokesI cannot at this stage add anything to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his speech in the House on44W the 15th February. My right hon. Friend then pointed out that about £500 million of the three-year defence programme would be spent on building work, of which the amount to be spent in the first year might come to something of the order of £120 million. He added that it would be necessary to reduce some of the civilian claims in the investment programme and measures to this end are now under active consideration.