§ 43. Sir D. Rentonasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what is the present extent of the housing shortage in England and Wales, including the number of houses required to rehouse people now living in overcrowded or otherwise unsatisfactory conditions.
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§ Mr. MacCollNationally there is probably a small excess of dwellings (fit and unfit) over households, but this falls far short of providing the margin of fit houses needed for mobility and the choice of houses of the standard the Government wants to see.
About 1.8 million dwellings are unfit, and another 4. million are seriously deficient in amenities or repair. Rather more than 1,000,000 persons are living in households at densities of more than 1½ persons per room. These figures indicate the substantial extent of the programme which will certainly extend well into the seventies.