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Housing, Scotland (Re-Conditioning)

Volume 389: debated on Thursday 6 May 1943

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74.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he proposes to take to recondition condemned houses in the urban districts of Scotland in order to relieve the urgent prevalent shortage of houses for the wage-earning classes?

My right hon. Friend is satisfied that the limited supplies of building labour and materials at present available can be used to the best advantage in the completion of the houses which local authorities have under construction and in the building of the 1,000 new houses to be provided under the new Scottish interim programme. In the special cases where it is urgently necessary to find accommodation for bombed-out families the Defence Regulations give local authorities power, with my right hon. Friend's consent, to license the temporary reoccupation of condemned houses made-reasonably fit for occupation.

While I thank my hon. Friend for his reply, does he not realise from the Debate which took place last Tuesday that, despite all these pious aspirations, the houses do not exist and that the houses this House decided upon have to be provided? Will his right hon. Friend take steps to bring to the notice of the War Cabinet that Scotland demands these houses and the reconditioning that may be necessary?

We are taking all the steps that are possible to deal with this problem at the present time.