§ Mr. Richard Wainwrightasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) whether it is his Department's policy to regard back-to-back dwellings as ipso facto unfit;
(2) whether he has issued instructions to his Department's inspectors that all proposals to demolish back-to-back dwellings should be confirmed at public inquiries;
(3) whether he has issued instructions to his Department's inspectors that demolition is the only appropriate method of treating statutorily unfit back-to-back dwellings.
§ Mr. ArmstrongNo. Some recent housing designs which are arguably of back-to-back construction meet all building regulation requirements. Older back-to-back houses which have been found to be unfit have occasionally been successfully converted into through houses or flats, thus removing the basic defect in ventilation often found in such houses.