§ Mr. Prittasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what is the approximate number of civilian Gibraltarians per habitable room now resident in Gibraltar; how many evacuated Gibraltarians are still awaiting repatriation; whether their return is delayed owing to the shortage of accommodation; when repatriation is expected to be completed; and what steps are being taken to relieve the housing shortage.
§ Mr. George HallA detailed survey of housing accommodation in Gibraltar has been undertaken, but I am not yet in possession of the full figures revealed by the analysis of its results. I am asking the Governor to furnish me with the exact figure requested by the hon. and learned Member in the first part of his Question. There are at 2481W present about 3,000 Gibraltanans awaiting repatriation from the United Kingdom; and it is certainly the case that their return is delayed owing to shortage of accommodation. The Government of Gibraltar is in process of completing a number of temporary houses which should relieve the existing pressure; and it will, I trust, be possible early in the New Year to start construction of an extensive scheme of permanent buildings, which should enable all the evacuees to return within the next two years to conditions considerably better than existed in the Colony before the war.