§ 69. Mr. Footasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government when he will make a statement on the licences 118W to be issued for reconstruction in bombed cities during 1954.
§ Mr. MarplesI would refer the hon. Member to the statement made yesterday by my right hon. Friend the Minister of Works. After 1st January applications for building licences for all classes of buildings except housing are to be sent to the regional licensing office of the Ministry of Works. My right hon. Friend expects that licences will be issued for war damage reconstruction as for other kinds of work, except in areas where the load on the building industry appears likely to become excessive. In those cases, as he said, a starting date procedure will have to be applied; but even in those areas he hopes that it will be possible to allow substantially more work on reconstruction in bombed cities than has been allowed in the past year.