§ Mr. Probertasked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the present position in relation to slum clearance in Wales; and to what extent the programme has been affected by the Government's economic measures.
§ Mr. George ThomasI am encouraging Welsh authorities to press ahead vigorously with slum clearance and to use a larger proportion of their newly-built houses as homes for people displaced from unfit houses. The Government's economic measures do not entail any reduction in the rate of slum clearance in Wales, which is now running at well over 2,500 a year. I hope, in early autumn, to have the results of the Welsh House Condition Survey, which I launched on 4th June. That will give me a more accurate picture than we have at present of the extent of the problem still to be tackled. Renewal and redevelopment will be encouraged by the proposals set out in the recent White Paper, "Old Houses into New Homes" (Cmnd. 3602).