asked the Minister of Labour the exact nature of the instructions which have been given to the Special Areas Commissioner for England and Wales to encourage the clearing up of ruins of factories and slag heaps?

The clearance of sites is part of the statutory duty of the Commissioner to initiate and assist measures which are designed to facilitate the economic development and social improvement of the Special Areas. My hon. and gallant Friend will observe from paragraphs 335 to 345 of his recent report, Cmd. 5595, that the Commissioner is engaged on several major schemes of site clearance, and from paragraphs 404 to 409 that he is assisting numerous minor schemes carried out on a voluntary basis.