asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is satisfied with the pre-emption provisions in the Housing Bill, in the light of the decision of the court in Pritchard v Briggs, 1 All England Reports 1980, page 294.

Yes. The case of Pritchard v Briggs is not authority on the question of the nature of a statutory right of pre-emption as under the Housing Bill, to which different rules apply.