Mr. Rostron Duckworthasked the Minister of Health whether he is prepared to de-requisition private houses in view of the shortage of accommodation in many parts of the country; and the number of requisitioned houses not yet in use?
§ Mr. E. BrownI assume that my hon. Friend is referring to houses held empty for persons whose homes may be destroyed by the enemy. The number of houses held for this purpose is under continual review and has recently been reduced. I fear that we have not yet reached the stage at which a reserve can be dispensed with but if my hon. Friend has any particular case in mind where, the reserve is thought to be more than sufficient I will be glad to look into it. The number of houses not in use is constantly altering as raids occur and I am unable to give the precise figure.