asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has for modifying section 8 of the Allotments Act 1925; and what consultations he has carried out in this regard.

It is proposed to repeal this section. This will not affect the obligation of local authorities under Section 23(1) of the Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908 to provide a sufficient number of allotments where they are of the opinion that there is a demand. The proposed repeal was contained in the White Paper "Central Government Controls over Local Authorities" which had a wide circulation. The major allotment organisations were specifically invited to comment.