§ Major Lyonsasked the Minister of Health whether he can give any figures showing what progress has been made by local authorities since 1st April in the repair of enemy-damaged houses and flats and the aggregate cost of same; and whether he is satisfied with the speed of the progress that is being made in this direction?
§ Mr. E. BrownBetween 1st April and 31st August first-aid repairs were carried out by local authorities to all houses damaged by enemy action, and during that period more extended repairs were carried out to 111,400 houses. The progress made by local authorities in this work can, I think, be regarded as highly praiseworthy. The cost of these repairs cannot readily be stated but during the past six months claims from local authorities for the reimbursement of the costs1068W of repairs have been certified by my Department to the War Damage Commission amounting to approximately £9,500,000, a figure which of course includes the cost of repairs carried out during previous periods.