§ 26. Mr. Hoosonasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs whether, in view of the high cost of erecting council houses in rural areas and of the difficulty of letting houses at a reasonable rent because of the relatively low earnings in rural areas, he will make additional housing grants to assist the smaller rural authorities to erect houses in rural villages for letting at reasonable rents without placing an excessive burden on the rates.
§ Sir K. JosephAdditional subsidies are payable under the Housing Act, 1961, up to a total of £40 a year per dwelling, where an authority's financial resources are particularly limited. This arrangement has benefited Welsh rural authorities more than any others and has enabled them to continue or resume house building. I do not think that further provision is called for at this stage.