§ 71. Mr. Bryant Godman Irvineasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many local authorities built houses by direct labour in 1968.
§ Mr. MacCollIn September, 1968, 162 local authorities in England and Wales were building houses by direct labour.
§ 72. Mr. Bryant Godman Irvineasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what criteria he uses for assessing the competitiveness and economy of direct labour estimates for housebuilding submitted to him for loan sanction.
§ Mr. MacCollIn considering applications for loan sanction for housing schemes to be built by direct labour the Department applies the same cost yardsticks as for schemes from contractors, and also takes into account the past performance of the direct labour organisation and its present capacity for the work. Competitive tendering is required when direct labour estimates appear to be out of line with the costs of comparable schemes within the region 251W and also from time to time as a check on the competitiveness of the direct labour organisation. My right hon. Friend welcomes the contribution which this form of municipal enterprise can and does make to the housing programme.