HC Deb 20 December 1962 vol 669 cc251-4W
Mr. Mason

asked the Secretary of State for War if he has now completed his investigations into the instant housing scheme as adopted by the London County Council; whether these will assist him to solve the housing problem in the British Army of the Rhine; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Profumo

My examination of the "instant" housing scheme has shown that these houses are too small to be accepted as permanent quarters and that, largely because of the site work and high transport costs involved, they are a much more expensive proposition than the provision of caravans. I do not therefore intend to take this investigation any further.

Mr. Mason

asked the Secretary of State for War whether he has now completed his studies on the need for more caravans in the British Army of the Rhine to help solve the housing problem; and whether it is his intention to introduce more himself or to allow the units to sponsor further numbers themselves.

Mr. Profumo

The introduction of more caravans in the British Army of the Rhine is still under consideration; these additional caravans would be provided officially by my Department and not under unit sponsorship.

Mr. Mason

asked the Secretary of State for War to what extent British Army of the Rhine Service men are living in caravans which are not sponsored by his Department or their respective units.

Mr. Profumo

There are 13 married Service men in the British Army of the Rhine who are living with their families in caravans not sponsored by my Department or by their units.

Mr. Mason

asked the Secretary of State for War if his estimate of solving the British Army of the Rhine's housing problem by the end of 1964 is based upon having a resident Army in Germany of 55,000 at that date.

Mr. Profumo

Yes. My estimate that the housing problem in the British Army of the Rhine would be largely solved by the end of 1964 was based on the assumption that the Army strength in that Command would be 55,000.

Mr. Mason

asked the Secretary of State for War if it is his intention, on the completion of his housing programme for the British Army of the Rhine, to house satisfactorily all those married Service men in need of homes; or if he is building for a predetermined percentage of the British Army of the Rhine's married personnel.

Mr. Profumo

The building of married accommodation overseas is always based on a predetermined percentage, since long experience has shown that not every entitled family wishes to take up a married quarter. On the completion of the housing programme in the British Army of the Rhine, I anticipate that all entitled personnel in the Command likely to require accommodation will be satisfactorily housed.

Mr. Mason

asked the Secretary of State for War what estimate his Department has made of the number of British Army of the Rhine Service men requiring Service accommodation by the end of 1964.

Mr. Profumo

I cannot estimate with absolute accuracy the number of Service men who will need married accommodation in the British Army of the Rhine at the end of 1964, but I do not anticipate that it will greatly exceed 20,000.

Mr. Mason

asked the Secretary of State for War why details are not available of how many Service men's families have returned to the United Kingdom because of unsuitable accommodation or lack of accommodation in the British Army of the Rhine since 5th May, 1961.

Mr. Profumo

Families are not sent to the British Army of the Rhine unless accommodation is available for them, and therefore no families have returned to the United Kingdom because of a lack of accommodation.

So few families have hitherto returned to this country from the British Army of the Rhine because they did not like their accommodation that no continuous record has been kept of their number. I understand, however, that in the last three months two families have returned to this country because they did not like their accommodation in Germany.