§ Mr. Dayasked the Minister of Health whether he can give particulars of the number of houses that have been erected for sale or to let during the two years ended at the last convenient date; and has he any particulars of the number of houses at present under construction?
§ Mr. ElliotDuring the two years ended 31st August, 1938, 157,269 houses were318W built by local authorities and 4,737 houses by private enterprise with State assistance under the Housing Acts. Practically the whole of these houses were built for letting. The number of houses which were in course of erection at 31st August, 1938, by local authorities and by private enterprise with State assistance was 76,968.
Statistics of houses built by private enterprise without State assistance are obtained half-yearly. In the two years ended 31st March, 1938, 530,597 houses were so built. Statistics of the proportion of such houses built for sale and for letting respectively relate only to houses of rateable value not exceeding £26 (£35 in Greater London). Of the 530,597 houses, 463,625 were houses of a rateable value not exceeding the figures mentioned and of these 145,544 were shown in the returns as in the occupation of persons other than their owners. The number of houses at present under construction by private enterprise without State assistance is not known.