HC Deb 18 December 1953 vol 522 cc143-4W
Sir W. Darling

asked the Minister of Works the amount and number, respectively, of building licences granted in Scotland, excluding State, municipal and nationalised industry, for the most convenient and recent period; and the corresponding figures for the county and City of London.

Sir D. Eccles

Figures are available for Scotland and for London Region, which covers an area larger than the City and County of London. In the first 10 months of 1953, 2,534 licences for new work to a value of nearly £41 million were issued in the London Region by the Ministry of Works and in the same period 2,449 licences to a value of nearly £13 million were issued in Scotland. These figures exclude direct Government work, authorised work and licences for nationalised industries. During the same period there was a great increase in Scottish new house construction, the output of which was over £46 million, an increase of 39 per cent. on the corresponding period of 1952.