§ 85. Mr. Awberyasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs how many houses belonging to owner-occupiers have been compulsorily acquired under clearance orders in Bristol; what compensation was paid; to what extent the cost of demolition and removal fell upon the tenant; and, in view of the hardship inflicted upon a large and increasing number of such people in the country at large who have invested their life savings in their homes, if he will now consider introducing legislation to remove this injustice.
§ Mr. H. BrookeThe information asked for in the first three parts of the Question relates to matters which are the responsibility of the local housing authority, and on which no returns are submitted to me. I should however point out that where the property is acquired, demolition is at the cost of the local authority. On the last104W part of the Question, legislation was introduced in 1955 to relieve the hardship which would otherwise have been experienced by owner-occupiers who bought unfit houses between 1939 and 1955. To safeguard against hardship in the future, local authorities were asked by circular in the same year to give general publicity to their slum clearance proposals, as well as individual advice to prospective purchasers.