HC Deb 20 May 1946 vol 423 cc24-5W
126. Major J. Morrison

asked the Minister of Works the correct channel or channels by which surplus Service huts may be obtained by the public, either for associations and clubs or for genuine trading and agricultural needs.

Mr. Wilson

Applications for Government surplus hutting should be made in writing to the appropriate Regional Headquarters of my Department. Priority is given only to applications which are sponsored by a Government Department and, if an organisation claims priority on the ground that its activities are in the national interest, the application should be addressed to the Department concerned. If the application is supported it will then be passed to my Department and given priority. Arrangements already exist under which, in very many cases, huts erected on agricultural land are offered in the first place to the owner of the site.

The method of sale is competitive tender. The purchaser is responsible for dismantling and removal, and for obtaining a civil building licence and clearance from local by-laws and planning regulations. The number of applications received is far in excess of the number of huts available for disposal, and the ordinary applicant may have to wait some time before a suitable hut becomes available.