asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what communication he has had with the Association of Metropolitan Authorities about the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

My officials wrote to the AMA (and other associations) on 9 May 1979 asking it to advise its members that the Ancient Monuments and Archaeo- logical Areas Act 1979 did not necessarily mean that any increase in resources for rescue archaeology could be expected. The Department will in due course be writing in more detail to all the local authority associations about implementation of the Act.