asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he will take steps to set up a national exchange service for local authority housing in order to facilitate multilateral exchanges by council tenants in the interests of increased labour mobility.

No, Sir. I am not satisfied that the results from such a service would justify the expenditure of money and effort involved.

May I ask the Minister whether the agrees that there is some evidence that there are a large number of people in local authority houses who would like to change their employment—and it would be in the national interest if they did—but who are prevented from so doing wholly and solely because they are unable to take their council house accommodation with them? Would it be such an expensive organisation, in view of the possible benefits to the national economy, to have a central exchange service which would enable two, three, or even four-way transfers of council houses?

I accept that it is desirable, but I believe that it is best organised on a bilateral basis. The Central Housing Advisory Committee reported that a central exchange would be unwieldy, and, more important, would be largely inaccessible to those who would need it.