§ Mr. William Hamiltonasked the Minister of Public Building and Works to what extent the rising costs of building materials are contributing to the increased costs of house building in Scotland; and if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table showing the rise in costs of ten principal building materials over the last three years.
§ Mr. BoydenIt is estimated that, in the country as a whole, increases in building materials prices have added about 5 per cent, to the cost of house-building over the period 1963–66. No separate figures are available for Scotland, but there is no reason to suppose that the situation there is very different.
The following table shows the percentage change in the price from April, 1963 to April, 1966 of 10 principal building materials.
Material Overall Increase Annual Increase Bricks +6.8 +2.3 Joinery +9.4 +3.1 Imported Softwood +4.4 +1.5 Cement +2.4 +.8 Paint .9 .3 Steel (Average of Components) 5.8 1.9 Cast Iron Baths and Cisterns 2.2 .7 Sanitary Fireclay 4.8 1.6 Cast Stone and Concrete Products 5.3 1.8 Glass 3.3 1.1