Mr. TREVELYAN THOMSONasked the Minister of Health what is the total number of housing schemes which have been or are being partially or temporarily delayed owing to the excessive price demanded in the first instance for land?
§ Dr. ADDISONOf the 2,964 housing schemes submitted to the Ministry by local authorities, information is available that 231 have been to some extent delayed by difficulties in regard to the price of the land. In eighty-three of these cases the negotiations undertaken by the super in-tending valuer have been successful, and it is anticipated that a similar result will be obtained in the majority of the 100 cases where negotiations are at present taking place. In forty-eight cases these negotiations have failed or the site has been rejected on account of the price being considered excessive. I would add that the delay which has unavoidably resulted in the above cases through the anxiety to obtain land at a reasonable price will no longer be imposed upon the Ministry when the new powers of entry contained in the Housing Bill are available.