Orders of the Day — Health, Housing and Education (Scotland).

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at on 8 July 1942.

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Mr. McNeil:

The right hon. Gentleman probably saw that I hesitated in the use of that word. It was because of my dislike of saying "houses capable of housing" bombed-out tenants. I know that the hon. Gentleman will not think that I am over-simplifying the matter if I say two things. I agree that that should be done, and should be done urgently. I am inclined to argue that local authorities have the power presently to requisition houses for Civil Defence workers. I have told my own people to go to the Scottish Office and blackmail them. If the Secretary of State and the Lord Advocate are of opinion that powers must be sought, let them get power properly and quickly, and have regard to two points, one of which was made strongly and vividly by the hon. Member for Gorbals. It is that you should give these people security of tenancy. As to the billetees, the persons forced to accept accommodation in bombed-out houses, I do not know whose fault it is that they are in that situation. Sleep is impossible for many of them. It is a nightmare not to know when you are to be pushed out of a given situation. I would ask the right hon. Gentleman not to requisition houses unless they are of such a type that they can be parcelled off into bits as self-contained homes. A key, in working-class circles, is a symbol. In my Division, the people who have put up billetees have shown great patience in many cases, and a great deal of understanding. The billetees have shown an equal amount of restraint, and have with some degree of cheerfulness accepted most trying conditions, but sooner or later there comes the clash. If they use the same kitchen, the same bath- room, the same hall and there is one door for four families, I predict confidently, unless they are a company of archangels, that there will be disaster within three months.

May I use my remaining five minutes to make one or two remarks about public health? The right hon. Gentleman was questioned by the hon. Member for Gorbals about the communication between the Port Authority and the medical officer in Glasgow in connection with this smallpox outbreak. I plead with him most earnestly to make an emphatic and clear declaration on this subject to-day, for although the people of Glasgow and Clydeside have behaved most splendidly in the face of this epidemic—they have queued up in an orderly fashion to be vaccinated, having had plenty of experience of queueing—in the queues and in the shops, for some reason that I cannot put my finger on, there are rumours of a lack of liaison between the Port Authority and the local medical officer. One newspaper has published a story which I did not think was in line with the ordinary responsibility of that newspaper; I have heard it from a medico who had been vaccinating, and I have heard it repeated here in this House. It is being told in the streets of Glasgow that the ship's signal, "Smallpox on board," was read as "Small boxes on board."