asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what restrictions are currently placed on the scope of the activities of direct labour departments in England and Wales.

Local authorities generally have no powers to use their direct labour departments to carry out new works of construction except for the purposes of their own functions, or of functions that have been delegated to them. As an exception to this, the direct labour organisations of 25 specified district councils are enabled, by orders under the Local Government Act 1972, to carry out new construction work for any local authority within the appropriate former county borough area; but those orders expire on 31st March 1977.