§ Mr. W. SMITHasked the Minister of Health if he has received a letter from the clerk of the Melford Rural District Council drawing attention to the housing conditions at Lawshall, in Suffolk, and requesting him to allow the district council to lower the rents of some houses erected by the district council so that they may be occupied by agricultural labourers; whether applications have been made for these houses by persons acting on behalf of the Royal Irish Constabulary; if so, whether similar applications have been made to councils in other areas: whet-her these applications have been made at the suggestion of officials of the Ministry of Health: and whether 1478W he is prepared to sanction the letting of these houses to members of the Royal Irish Constabulary or to lower the rents so that they may be occupied by bonâ fide inhabitants of the district?
§ Sir A. MONDThe rents of houses built under the Assisted Scheme in the parish of Lawshall have been fixed by the district council at 4s. and 5s. a week, and the houses are at present largely occupied by farm labourers. These rents are below the average which the Ministry have approved for the whole area of the district council and, as at present advised, I am unable to agree to any reduction. I understand that out of 20 houses under the scheme in the parish, four were recently vacant, and that applications for these houses have been made on behalf of late members of the Royal Irish Constabulary. I do not propose to interfere with the local authority in their selection of tenants, a matter for which they are solely responsible. I have, however, given to those acting for the late members of the Royal Irish Constabulary the names of two or three authorities who. I under stand, have some difficulty in finding tenants for their houses.