asked the Minister of Local Government and Planning what is the estimated total cost of rent subsidies, including local and national accounts.

About £60 million for 1950–51.

Is there any financial ceiling to this subsidy, as in the case of the food subsidies and in the case of the Health Services? If not, are these sums likely to be extended in the coming years?

The amount of the subsidy depends on the number of houses built.

Is there any limit to the subsidies?

asked the Minister of Local Government and Planning whether he is aware that the terms of paragraph 3 (III) of the Practice Notes issued to local housing authorities under Circular 4/51 are giving rise to misunderstanding; and if he will make it clear that houses let to employees, as distinct from houses used for service occupancy without rent, are eligible in appropriate cases for an improvement grant under the Housing Act, 1949.

I do not think that any misunderstanding should arise. The hon. Member's statement of the case in the last part of his Question is quite correct.

asked the Minister for Local Government and Planning how many applications for improvement of housing accommodation under the Housing Act, 1949, have been approved by him for the West Riding of Yorkshire during 1950.

Eighteen.

In view of the very small number that the right hon. Gentleman has announced, could he say whether that small number is due to the difficulties of local authorities in having to find the money out of their allocations for repairs, and whether, if a local authority refuses an application under this Act, there is any appeal?

This is primarily a matter for the local authority, and I do not think it is for me to interfere. I am quite prepared to grant applications that come to me, but in fact these particular local authorities have approved only 18 applications. The grant, of course, is three-quarters of the loss likely to be incurred under Section 15 of the Act.

That does not answer my Question. Could the right hon. Gentleman say whether this allocation comes out of the total allocation allowed to councils for repairs?

Yes. We have a local ceiling on that, of course.

asked the Minister of Local Government and Planning if he is aware that the cost of repairs and maintenance of properties has increased by about 300 per cent. of their pre-war level, and that properties throughout the country are falling into a state of disrepair; and if he will introduce legislation to authorise an increase in controlled rents to enable landlords to meet their outgoings.

In reply to the first part of the Question, my predecessor and I have received various representations on this subject. In reply to the second part, I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Henley (Mr. Hay), on Tuesday last.

Is the right hon. Gentleman not aware that this class administration is doing irreparable harm to the homes and happiness of all those concerned?

Will the right hon. Gentleman bear in mind that although the suggestion made in this Question may not necessarily be the entire answer, the problem nevertheless exists? Can he give the House an assurance that he realises that there is a problem here, and that he has not closed his mind entirely to the possibility of ameliorating the position?

It is very difficult to see how we can solve this under present conditions without creating even more serious problems in other directions.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that if he concedes this increase in rent for the 8 million families who will be concerned he will add considerably to the burden of the cost of living at the present time?

That has been brought out in the answer which I gave the hon. Member for Henley, last Tuesday.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that houses are becoming uninhabitable because of the lack of repairs? What action does the right hon. Gentleman propose to take in order to avoid this decay?

Answer.

asked the Minister of Local Government and Planning, in view of the fact that the waiting lists held by local authorities for housing, in over 80 per cent. of the cases, increased during 1950, what steps he is taking to provide accommodation for the additional workers it will be necessary to bring into factory areas under the new re-armament programme.

There is no ground for the statement made in the first part of the Question; as regards the second, I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to him on 13th February.

Does the Minister realise that there is a lot of ground for the statement I make in my Question? If he would take the trouble to write to the various local authorities he would find that there are terrific waiting lists, and that in over 80 per cent. of the cases the waiting lists increased in 1950–51. [HON. MEMBERS: "Oh."] That certainly is so. If he will inquire he will find that my statement is absolutely correct. He will not be able to get the re-armament programme carried out because he will find he has nowhere to house the people who are supposed to move into the areas where the programme will be undertaken.

As I said in reply to a previous Question, we give particular priority to any cases where it may be necessary for the purpose of re-armament to bring new workers into an area. That has been the policy for dealing with this problem.

If the Minister will take the trouble to write personally to every local authority in the country, as I have done, he will find that the numbers are exactly as I have stated. But he has not taken the trouble to do that, and he knows it.

I am astonished to hear that the hon. Gentleman has written to all local authorities in the country. It is remarkable private enterprise on his part to do so. [HON. MEMBERS: "Hear, hear."] It is part of my policy not to waste the time of the officials of local authorities with too much correspondence and form filling. It is well known that these waiting lists vary very much from one area to another; they are not comparable. Many are based on one principle in one area and on a different principle in another area. There is a great deal of duplication on waiting lists, for many people are on more than one list. I have heard of a case of a man who is on 16 different lists—[HON. MEMBERS: "No."] That is so; he is on 16 different lists. All these things create difficulties.

Is the right hon. Gentleman suggesting that there is no substantial housing problem at all?

Of course not. The hon. Gentleman knows that.

asked the Minister of Local Government and Planning whether he will notify chairmen of rent tribunals of the desirability, when so requested in difficult or complex cases, of issuing their decisions in a reasoned form as speaking orders so that their decisions may be subject to review and benefit by the guidance of the High Court of Justice.

I have no power to give such a direction.

Does the Minister appreciate that the Question does not refer to a direction but to a letter of advice? Has he studied the decision of the High Court in the case of the King against the Northumberland Appeal Tribunal, and does he not agree that the best of these tribunals will welcome the opportunity of such guidance and that the worst of them ought to have it?

No, Sir. I do not agree. This question was discussed—that is, the question of the right of appeal from a decision of the tribunal to the courts—in the debate on the Landlord and Tenant (Rent Control) Act, 1949. That is what is involved here, and it would merely result in clogging up the lists of these tribunals. They deal with a large number of cases; 85,000 cases have been dealt with. To give rights of appeal on these would greatly prolong the procedure. Our hope is to quicken the answers.

Will the right hon. Gentleman read the Question—if he has not already done so—and the words "in difficult or complex cases"? Does he not appreciate the Question is limited to that?

A number of cases which some might think difficult and complex may not have been so regarded by the tribunals.

asked the Minister of Local Government and Planning when he expects to be able to relax the restrictions on the amount of softwood used in each new house.

Not until we have increased our stocks.

Does the right hon. Gentleman's reply mean that there is not sufficient timber on the market, or simply that we have not been able to get it; because the Secretary for Overseas Trade said in this House not a month ago that we were purchasing in Canada all we required?

Supplies of Canadian softwood will be the highest since the war and sufficient to cover defence requirements as well as the civil building programme. On the other hand, stocks have fallen uncomfortably low and we must build them up. A soon as we have done so, we shall be only too delighted to give a further allocation to housing.

Does the right hon. Gentleman attempt to buy any softwood from Germany? If he goes from Strasbourg to Stuttgart he will find quantities of wood waiting to be purchased for building. Has he considered supplies from that part of the world?

My Department is aware of that.

asked the Minister of Local Government and Planning to what extent, when allocating global sums to local authorities during 1951–52 in respect of building licences for private work, he took into consideration the importance of permitting the granting of licences by such local authorities to all applicants seeking to instal fuel saving equipment and plant, with special reference to coal and coke economy.

Equipment to save fuel in small houses generally costs less than £100, and so requires no building licence.

Does the right hon. Gentleman realise that in the cases where larger houses are involved—and there are thousands of them in the country generally—the paucity of licences for local authorities means that large fuel saving plant is now being squeezed out, with the result that fuel is being wasted? Will he view this matter a little more liberally?

I have a note of a case, which is perhaps in the hon. Member's mind, in the Kidderminster Borough Council area asking them to allow £900 to instal in a large house an oil burning central heating plant. As things are now they did not think—and I agree with them in thinking—they ought to allow that application.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that that particular case has not been previously brought to my notice, and that my Question is guided by very large numbers of people who wish to save fuel in the national interest?

asked the Minister of Local Government and Planning whether, in view of the present housing shortage in Lancaster, he will reconsider his refusal to allow the use of the premises in Regent Street, Lancaster, lately vacated by the district nurses, as a home for elderly people or for other housing purposes.

These premises belong to the Lancashire County Council and are used for a variety of purposes, including the housing of some of the council's staff. The county council appealed to me against the refusal of the Lancaster City Council to agree to their proposals for the use of the premises. After considering all the evidence, I allowed the appeal.

Is the Minister aware that these premises contained 16 bedrooms fitted with hot and cold water, and that they are ideally suited to be a home for old people? Is he aware that the decision to turn them into Government offices with accommodation for only three caretakers, I believe, has caused great indignation locally?

It is a question of a difference of opinion between two local authorities, and I have to do my best to come to a right decision in the matter. I am told that the number of persons housed is much the same as it would have been if Lancashire County Council had used the premises otherwise. That is what I am informed.

asked the Minister of Local Government and Planning when he expects to make an announcement on the B.S. 1010 and the Ministry of Health Swan taps.

I shall not in future confirm new bylaws making B.S. 1010 taps compulsory.

asked the Minister of Local Government and Planning how many permanent houses per 1,000 of the population have been completed between 1st April, 1945, and 1st March, 1951, or the nearest convenient date, in the respective areas of Nottingham, Bristol, Norwich and Sheffield.

On 31st March, 1951, the figures were 16.9, 20.5, 27.7 and 11.8, respectively.

Could the Minister explain why the figures are so much less in the case of Sheffield than in those other towns? Will he not look into this again to see if he cannot increase the number of licences for Sheffield and enable Sheffield to come more or less into line with the others?

I am always prepared to increase an allocation to an authority if there is any evidence it can make use of it within the time, and keep a balanced programme.

Is the right hon. Gentleman not aware that labour cannot arrive on the sites until the licences have been granted?

There is a general, flow of licensing going on all the time. We have an allocation here, and as the year goes on, if there is evidence that the local authority can complete the work, I should be glad to consider it.