§ Mr. HARTSHORNasked the Home Secretary if he is aware that on Saturday, the 26th ultimo, the Bridgend magistrates issued an ejectment order against Thomas Ashman, Pencoed; that Mr. Ashman and his four sons, all living at home, are miners; that every effort has been made by Mr. Ashman to obtain another house, but without success; and that there is not a vacant house in the district; and whether he will take steps to prevent this order being enforced, and also to prevent any further ejectment orders being issued until suitable housing accommodation is available?
§ Mr. SHORTTThe hon. Member is quite mistaken if he thinks I have any power to prevent the owners of houses from taking such steps as the law allows them for recovering possession of their property. That right has been much restricted by recent legislation, and, in fact, the tenant of a house of moderate value cannot be ejected unless sufficient cause for doing so has been shown,e.g., that the house has been condemned as unfit to live in or that the landlord himself has no other house to live in. The law provides 48W means for appealing against ejectment orders made without sufficient reason, but I have no authority to intervene in such matters.