§ 143. Dr. Strossasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he is aware of the confusion that has arisen through the unequal allocation of steel to different Government Departments and of the insufficient steel allocated to the Ministry of Housing and Local Government; and what steps he proposes to take to remedy this problem.
§ Sir A. SalterThe guiding principle in allocating steel has been to meet the needs of exports, defence and of essential investment, such as coal mining, to the fullest extent possible with the supplies available, and at the expense of home consumption and less essential home investment. The economic crisis demands that this principle should be strictly applied.
The particular allocation to which the hon. Member refers is sufficient to meet the requirements of housing.