asked the President of the Board of Trade what estimate he has made of the effect of the setting up of the proposed New Town of Telford upon industrial development and the granting of industrial development certificates in the rural areas of Shropshire.

The main purpose of Telford new town is to lake population and industry from the West Midlands conurbation. I would not expect the recent decision to extend the area of the new town to affect industrial development in rural Shropshire. I will continue to consider sympathetically applications for industrial development certificates for projects suited to the needs and resources of these rural areas.