The Burt Committee was a working party set up by the government of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

to provide guidance on the housing shortage. The committee had the correct title of the ''Interdepartmental Committee on House Construction''. It was established in September 1942 by the

Minister of Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental health. Coun ...

, the Minister of Works and the Secretary of State for Scotland. The committee was briefed to consider which methods and materials would be most cost-effective and efficient for providing houses after war damage in

The Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

and slum clearance had left many homeless. The committee favoured prefabricated housing as a solution to the problems, and their recommendations resulted in the Housing (Temporary Accommodation) Act 1944, which itself resulted in the Emergency Factory Made programme.

Sources

DTi Report on prefabricated buildings

Brief history of government housing policy
Housing in the United Kingdom Committees of the United Kingdom Cabinet Office {{UK-poli-stub