Most of that work at Devonshire House was done under orders issued by the district surveyor. On a general point it must be remembered that external painting is necessary very often for the preservation of the fabric and yet the brilliant appearance of buildings in the centre of London, like a shop or a house, will create an impression that far more extensive work has been done than has in fact taken place. That painting work is essential in order to prevent more expensive calls upon labour and materials in the. future. In the same way, much of the internal glazing and decorating work to which my hon. Friend has referred is done by specialist contractors with specialist types of workmen who are not available for work upon housing construction, or indeed any kind of building construction, that my hon. Friend, in common with us, is so eager to press forward.

I must call my hon. Friend's attention to a rather striking figure which I had not myself realised. When we turn away from the things to which he has referred, and consider how much work on repair and decoration in houses is asked for from the local authorities as against that which is licensed by them, we find the difference to be extraordinarily small. In the last six months in London, that difference was only 5 per cent. That is, in numbers of licences.