asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what conclusions he has now reached in his studies of the future of local government on Tyneside; and whether he will make a statement.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will make a statement on Tyneside reorganisation.

Having considered the views of the local authorities on my provisional conclusions about Tyneside in the light of the decision to appoint a Royal Commission, I have decided to make a formal proposal for a single county borough. Whatever my final decision, I am convinced that it will be of value to have the arguments for and against the proposal thoroughly ventilated at a public local inquiry and that to do so will not prove in any way prejudicial to the work of the Royal Commission.