§ Sir G. Foxasked the Minister of Health whether, in view of the increased cost of labour and material, he will consider raising the value of the cottage after re-
County No. of houses for which final costs available. Type of houses. Inclusive cost per house. Rent per week. Dorset 4 Parlour £1,177 10/4 Durham 12 Parlour £972 to £1,101 6/9 to 10/- Hants 6 Parlour £1,080 14/2 Herts 4 Parlour £1,104 10/- Kent 4 Parlour £1,009 8/2 Norfolk 10 Parlour £982 9/8 Somerset 4 Non-Parlour £821 7/9 Sussex, East 8 Parlour £1,034 to £1,041 10/8 to 12/6 Sussex, West 4 Parlour £1,034 to £1,075 10/3 to 10/7 Yorks, West Riding 12 Parlour £898 to £928 8/6 to 10/-
Mr. R. Duckworthasked the Minister of Health the names of the 14 separate Government Departments, bodies and per-
1528Wconditioning to enable more extensive use to be made of the Housing (Rural Workers) Acts.
§ Mr. WillinkI would refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave on 25th May to my hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Mr. Linstead) when I said that I hoped in due course to be submitting to Parliament the Government's proposals for the amendment of these Acts on the lines recommended in the Third Report of the Rural Housing Sub-Committee of my Central Housing Advisory Committee. The point he mentions will be covered by these proposals.
§ Sir W. Edgeasked the Minister of Health whether he will state the number of rural district councils in Leicestershire whose record in regard to the construction or reconstruction of rural houses is regarded as very good.
§ Mr. WillinkTo attempt a classification of individual authorities in the precise manner suggested would be difficult and, I think, liable to misunderstanding. I am sending my hon. Friend particulars of the houses built and reconstructed in the county according to my records.
§ Sir W. Edgeasked the Minister of Health if he can now state by counties the inclusive cost of the 3,000 houses allocated to rural workers; and the rents in each county at which these houses have been let.
§ Mr. WillinkFinal costs are at present available for 64 parlour houses and four non-parlour houses. Theinclusive costs and rents of these houses are shown in the following statement:
sons who have to be considered before the sites are purchased for the building of war-time agricultural cottages.
1529W
§ Mr. WillinkOwing to war-time conditions the authorities interested in the purchase of land for this scheme were the Ministry of Health, the District Valuer of the Board of Inland Revenue, the Ministry of Town and Country Planning, the Ministry of Works, the three Service Departments, three Production Departments, the Ministry of Home Security, the Ministry of War Transport, the County Council and the County War Agricultural Executive Committee. In order to assist local authorities arrangments were, however, made for most of this consultation to be done by my Regional Officers. My hon. Friend will be glad to know that a simplified procedure has now been devised on the lines recommended by the Rural Housing Sub-Committee of my Central Housing Advisory Committee.
§ Sir A. Baillieasked the Minister of Health the number of rural district councils in Kent whose record in regard to the construction or reconstruction of rural houses is regarded as very good.
§ Mr. WillinkTo attempt a classification of individual authorities in the precise manner suggested would be difficult and, I think, liable to misunderstanding. I am sending my hon. and gallant Friend particulars of the houses built and reconstructed in the county according to my records.