§ Mr. Charles Smithasked the Secretary of State for War in which overseas commands accommodation for soldiers' families is not at present available; how many applications for families to proceed to each of these commands are outstanding; and what progress has been made in each case towards the provision of accommodation.
§ Mr. ShinwellUnfortunately the demand for accommodation for soldiers' families at present exceeds the supply in all overseas Commands except Bermuda. Information as to the actual number of applications outstanding in each command is not available in the War Office. The renovation of existing married quarters and the construction of new ones are proceeding as fast as the limited available resources of labour, materials and finance permit. I must emphasize, however, that the housing tasks confronting the Army in overseas Commands are very great, and the married quarters programme will necessarily take a number of years to complete.