asked the Minister of Health if, in view of the fact that there are 40,000 applicants on the waiting list for houses in Liverpool and that contracts to build 4,000 houses could be entered into at once, he will increase the allocation to Liverpool Corporation for the current year of licences for 1,770 houses.

Contracts already entered into, together with the current allocation, account for more than 4,000 houses, and the available building labour is fully absorbed. An addition to the allocation at the present time would therefore not produce more houses, but I shall keep the position under review in consultation with the local authority.