Housing, Scotland

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 18 June 1947.

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Photo of Commander Thomas Galbraith Commander Thomas Galbraith , Glasgow Pollok 12:00, 18 June 1947

I am not concerned about that. I was referring to the statement made by the Secretary of State in October of last year. He said he anticipated that 16,000 of these would be completed by the end of December. Looking at the return for April, we see that those 16,000 have not been completed yet, so that we have the right hon. Gentleman making an estimate for two and a half months ahead and being four and a half months out in his calculations. It is really most extraordinary, that in such a short forecast he should be so much out. We are told in the housing returns that the non-traditional type of house is designed to secure that the, minimum time is spent on erection on the site.

I drew the attention of the Committee in October last year to the fact that 2,500 Swedish timber houses had been in the country since February, 1946, and that in the eight months which had elapsed since then only rob had been completed. Here we have a type of house capable of speedy erection; 2,500 of them waiting, and in 14 months up to the end of April we have completed 1,116. In October the explanation was that, while the Government had done everything in their power, some parts were missing, and that the responsibility for supplying these lay with the private merchant to the local authority—so we were told by the Joint Under-Secretary. Is that still the cause? If so, what steps have been taken to remedy it? Or, in the interval has some other cause for delay developed? It really does seem to be altogether ridiculous that these houses should have been held up for 14 months, a longer period than, in the normal course of events, it takes to complete a traditional house. All I have to say about the remainder of the non-traditional housing programme is, that it is proceeding at a very leisurely pace indeed, and I hope we shall receive some encouraging information—even more encouraging than we have had already—before the joint Under-Secretary con? cludes his speech tonight.