§ Mr. MARCHasked the Minister of Health whether he will inform the House 3020W as to the amount of subsidy paid to private builders for building working-class houses during the years 1923, 1924, and 1925, and the number of houses built during the same period; the amount paid to local authorities; and the number built by them during the same period?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINThe amount of grants payable to private builders under the Acts of 1923 and 1924 is determined by the local authorities, and I am unable to state the total amount paid. The subsidy paid from the Exchequer in respect of houses erected by private builders amounted to £10,715 in 1924 and £172,955 in 1925 (no subsidy being payable in 1923), and the number of subsidised houses built by private builders was 1,508 in 1923, 35,455 in 1924 and 62,137 in 1925. Grants amounting to £9,060 in all were made from the Exchequer during 1923 in respect of 38 further houses built under the Housing (Additional Powers) Act, 1919. The amount of Exchequer subsidy paid in respect of houses erected by local authorities during the years concerned and previous years under the Acts of 1919, 1923 and 1924 amounted to £7,910,146 in 1923, £7,597,428 in 1924, and £7,360,444 in 1925. The number of houses erected by the authorities were 17,545 in 1923, 17,269 in 1924 and 37,360 in 1925.