§ 89. Mr. Rentonasked the Minister of Labour to what extent the charges made by his Department for accommodation in industrial hostels fall short of the cost of providing such accommodaton; how much subsidy has been paid by the taxpayers to people accommodated in such hostels during the last period of 12 months for which figures are available; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Sir W. MoncktonDuring the financial year 1951–52, the latest year for which complete figures are available, the charges made fell short of the cost of providing the accommodation by 19s. 3d. per resident per week, the total subsidy paid being £1,269,000. Because of rising costs it is expected that the deficit for 1952–53, both per head and in total, will be much the same despite an increase in charges to residents of 5s. a week in February, 1952.
Increases in fuel and maintenance and other costs will not come into full effect until 1953–54. In view of these further increases and in the light of the prevailing level of prices for comparable private lodgings, it has been decided to increase the charges in the industrial hostels run by the National Service Hostels Corporation on behalf of the Ministry of Labour and National Service by 7s. a week as from 13th April.
The new charges will be 47s. a week for men and 42s. a week for women at standard hostels, and 42s. a week for men and 37s. a week for women at substandard hostels where the amenities fall somewhat short of the general standard.