§ Sir W. Smithersasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, in view of the fact that the supply of steel is becoming greater than the demand, he will arrange for steel to be made available for use as framework for houses.
§ Mr. JayI am not prepared to accept the assumption made in the first part of the hon. Member's Question. There is, therefore, no need for any special steps to encourage the use of steel for the framework of houses on any scale, though some small quantities of steel have been allowed for development purposes of this sort. My right hon. Friend the Minister of Health is prepared to consider proposals put forward by local authorities for nontraditional methods of house construction, including those involving the use of steel, where costs are comparable with those of brick and timber.