§ Sir R. Gowerasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works whether he can state the policy of his Department in regard to the transfer of requisitioned property without any reference to the owner; whether he is aware that the War Office transferred 25, Moss Lane, Pinner, Middlesex, to his Department, which used it for Italian prisoners, then transferred it to the Harrow Urban District Council; and why he did not follow the procedure in the Ministry of Health Circular No. 136/44, dated 5th October.
§ Mr. HicksThe policy is to hold requisitioned property for any Government use in connection with the war, and the transfer from one such use to another is a matter for the discretion of the competent authority concerned, who could not undertake to consult the owner in each case. I am aware of the position regarding the house in question, which after consultation with the Ministry of Health, was transferred to the local authority for the purpose of rehousing persons rendered homeless by enemy action, and I am informed that the last paragraph of Circular 136/44 makes it clear that the Circular does not apply in such cases.