Oral Answers to Questions — Housing – in the House of Commons at on 25 March 1943.
Mr Alfred Bossom
, Maidstone
asked the Minister of Town and Country Planning whether the pre-war regulations as to the number of houses to the acre will continue to apply in post-war housing development schemes?
Mr William Morrison
, Cirencester and Tewkesbury
There were no statutory regulations before the war governing the number of houses to the acre. The provisions to be made by a planning scheme must depend on the circumstances and requirements of the particular locality.
Mr Alfred Bossom
, Maidstone
Could my right hon. Friend look into this and make recommendations so that the recommendations and suggestions of the Ministry of Health can be scientifically considered? It is not quite satisfactory at the present time.
Mr Reginald Sorensen
, Leyton West
Is it not true that large numbers of local authorities did establish a rule that not more than so many houses to the acre could be built?
Mr William Morrison
, Cirencester and Tewkesbury
There were provisions to that effect in town-planning schemes, and they will be continued.
Mr Richard Stokes
, Ipswich
Would not this problem solve itself if the Minister had the good sense to introduce a thorough-going tax on site values?
Mr William Morrison
, Cirencester and Tewkesbury
That is another matter.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
