Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 20 October 1949.
Mr Eustace Willis
, Edinburgh North
12:00,
20 October 1949
During both the Debates we have held today the problem of the housing situation in Scotland has been stressed, first, as it affects juvenile delinquency and, second, in its relation to the alarming increase in tuberculosis in our country. I am, therefore, glad to have this opportunity of raising once again the question of housing in Edinburgh. In spite of all the efforts of the Government—and I fully appreciate what they have done, particularly in comparison with the efforts of previous Governments—this problem is still the most important for thousands of people in my Division and for many more thousands in the City of Edinburgh as a whole.
The desperate plight of the homeless and the wastage of human life in the squalid areas of our large towns constitute a challenge which we cannot afford to neglect. Moreover, the increase in tuberculosis in Scotland intensifies that challenge. About an hour ago I received a letter from a Minister of the Church in Scotland saying that one of his parishioners had died last week from pulmonary tuberculosis, at her home. She was one of a family of five, four members of which were living permanently at home in a house of two rooms, with an outside communal lavatory. The oldest son and the father had to sleep in one room and the mother and daughter of 13 had to sleep with the daughter, who has since died. These tragic cases are only too frequent today.
Against that background I have been alarmed at the recent trend of housing activities in Edinburgh itself, and also at the allocation of houses for Edinburgh next year. During the past 18 months the total number of houses, permanent and temporary, completed per month has fallen and the number of men engaged in house building has drastically decreased. These are facts which we cannot afford to ignore. Last year, in Edinburgh, there were completed about 2,800, temporary and permanent houses. This year the monthly figures have fallen from 205 at the beginning of the year to 135 for the last month for which the figures have been published. So far as I can see we shall only complete about 1,500 houses this year. That is a drop of almost a half. What is even more alarming is that the allocation for next year is even lower—1,200, which is quite inadequate for the needs of Edinburgh.
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.
The House of Commons votes by dividing. Those voting Aye (yes) to any proposition walk through the division lobby to the right of the Speaker and those voting no through the lobby to the left. In each of the lobbies there are desks occupied by Clerks who tick Members' names off division lists as they pass through. Then at the exit doors the Members are counted by two Members acting as tellers. The Speaker calls for a vote by announcing "Clear the Lobbies". In the House of Lords "Clear the Bar" is called. Division Bells ring throughout the building and the police direct all Strangers to leave the vicinity of the Members’ Lobby. They also walk through the public rooms of the House shouting "division". MPs have eight minutes to get to the Division Lobby before the doors are closed. Members make their way to the Chamber, where Whips are on hand to remind the uncertain which way, if any, their party is voting. Meanwhile the Clerks who will take the names of those voting have taken their place at the high tables with the alphabetical lists of MPs' names on which ticks are made to record the vote. When the tellers are ready the counting process begins - the recording of names by the Clerk and the counting of heads by the tellers. When both lobbies have been counted and the figures entered on a card this is given to the Speaker who reads the figures and announces "So the Ayes [or Noes] have it". In the House of Lords the process is the same except that the Lobbies are called the Contents Lobby and the Not Contents Lobby. Unlike many other legislatures, the House of Commons and the House of Lords have not adopted a mechanical or electronic means of voting. This was considered in 1998 but rejected. Divisions rarely take less than ten minutes and those where most Members are voting usually take about fifteen. Further information can be obtained from factsheet P9 at the UK Parliament site.
