asked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will hold discussions with the RIBA, the Countryside Commission and the Council for the Preservation of Rural England about creating a more traditionally rural design for local authority housing in country areas;(2) what guidance is given by his Department to local authorities about the style of architecture to be observed on council house developments in rural areas.

I share the hon. Member's concern that house designs should be appropriate to their setting. In local authority housing this is recognised by the special yardstick allowances, which are available in appropriate cases, to meet the cost of using special local materials and for preserving special architectural features of a locality.The hon. Member will appreciate that no single design solution would be appropriate for all circumstances. I think we must therefore look to professional designers, both local authority and private,