§ Mr. Osborneasked the Secretary of State for War if he is aware that since June, 1940, the parish church hall at North Somercoates, Lincolnshire, has been used by the Army as a N.A.A.F.I.; and will he give instructions for its derequisition by the end of 1945, in order that the parochial church council may restart their social and religious work in the village.
§ Mr. LawsonRelease action is now being taken, the unit concerned having moved.
§ Mr. Osborneasked the Secretary of State for War if he will give instructions for the immediate derequisitioning of the Great Carlton, Lincolnshire, church institute, since the area quartering commandant has no authority to do so; and, as there have been no troops in the village for over 12 months, will he see that military necessities no longer hold up civilian amenities.
§ Mr. LawsonRelease action was initiated in October. The premises were required by the Army until June and by the war agricultural committee until October.
§ Sir W. Allenasked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that two houses in Armagh have been vacated by the A.T.S. and have been vacant for some time, and if he will give instructions that these houses be derequisitioned at once owing to the scarcity of houses in Armagh.
§ Mr. LawsonI presume the hon. and gallant Member refers to Nos. 6 and 10, Beresford Row in the town of Armagh. These houses have been derequisitioned with effect from 30th November.
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§ Sir W. Allenasked the Secretary of State for War whether he is aware that on the derequisitioning of billets by his Department in Armagh and elsewhere the articles contained therein are sent to Belfast for sale; why local residents are not given the opportunity to purchase these articles which cannot be supplied to them by the local shops; and why the local farmers are not given an opportunity to purchase the huts erected by his Department.
§ Mr. LawsonThe contents of these buildings are not necessarily surplus and their return to store does not imply that they will be sold. Any actual disposal is carried out not by the War Office but by the appropriate disposals Department. With regard to the latter part of the Question, the huts, if not required by the War or other Government Department, are offered to the owners of the ground before being handed over to the disposals Department concerned.
§ Sir W. Smilesasked the Secretary of State for War if he will now state when he will derequisition the public elementary school at Bangor, County Down.
§ Dr. Littleasked the Secretary of State for War whether he will release the school buildings in Northern Ireland at present in possession of the military authorities, in the near future, as education is suffering through the diversion of these schools from the purpose for which they were erected.
§ Mr. LawsonOrange field School, Belfast, is already in process of being derequisitioned and I hope that the elementary school at Bangor will be released by about the middle of February, 1946, so far as the War Department is concerned. No other schools in Northern Ireland are held by my Department.