asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many building starts were recorded in the central part of southern England in the 12 months up to 31st March 1975; and how many building starts were recorded in the same area for each of the preceding five years.

Starts were reported of 16,931 dwellings, 9,974 in the public sector and 6,957 in the private sector, in the southern counties sub-division of the South-East Region during the 11 months up to 28th February 1975. The figures for March are not yet available. This sub-division comprises Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, Oxford-shire and the Isle of Wight. Corresponding figures for the same area for the earlier periods are:Venient date, upon the Central Lancashire new town;(2) how much capital expenditure, in the form of work physically done upon the ground, has been incurred, to the nearest convenient date, upon the Central Lancashire new town.

Gross capital expenditure to 31st March 1975 amounted to some £26.5 million, of which £7 million was expenditure on works.