asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will give approximate figures for the total number of houses started so far this year and the comparative number last year; whether he estimates that there will be an increase next year; and if he will reject any further reduction in the target of 500,000 because of the projected increased number of improvements.

306,000 houses had been started up to the end of September this year in Great Britain compared with 353,000 over the same period last year. Last year's figures reflect the starts in the private sector made to avoid betterment levy. I expect public authorities to start at least as many houses in 1969 as in 1968 but it is still too soon to make a forecast for the private sector.

Is the Minister aware that that is a rather alarming reply because it indicates no increase in the present total? Does the 500,000 target, less the 33,000 reduction a year, announced in January, remain the target for 1970, in addition to the 200,000 improvements? We need all of them desperately, and his reply last July was not very definite.

I have not named any further targets since the abandonment of the 500,000. As my hon. Friend knows, completions have been raised to a record level. At the end of September, 479,750 houses were under construction.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he has yet received the Report of the Inquiry into multi-storey domestic dwellings following the Canning Town disaster in May, 1968; having regard to the decision at Warley, Worcestershire, on 4th July, 1968, to change from gas to electricity in multi-storey domestic hereditaments, what advice as to safety, and alternative fuels, he is now giving to local authorities; and whether he will make a statement concerning multi-storey construction.

asked the Minisster of Housing and Local Government what advice he intends to offer to local housing authorities as a result of the Report of the Ronan Point tribunal.

The Report of the Inquiry into the collapse at Ronan Point was published on Wednesday, 6th November. As I indicated in the statement I made to the House on that day, I immediately began discussions with the system builders and with the local authority associations about the further advice to be given to local authorities.

Having regard to the march on County Hall, Westminster, yesterday by 100 tenants of a tower block of flats on the Ocean Estate, Stepney, and the Minister's controversy with television personalities, will he apply himself particularly to the fuel aspects? Is his advice to local authorities to withdraw gas from all these tall buildings and to substitute electricity, as has been done at Warley, Worcestershire, or is that not his advice? Can we have an unequivocal reply on that cardinal point?

As the hon. Gentleman will know, I accepted the tribunal's recommendations in respect of gas which show that once buildings are strengthened against the possibility of progressive collapse there is no reason why gas should not be used, but in the meantime we shall certainly be recommending to local authorities the points made by the tribunal, and I think that local authorities will be extremely ill-advised to delay cutting off gas from any building which they believe to be susceptible to progressive collapse.

Yes, but is the Minister aware that there is a quite considerable amount of worry in the areas where these buildings are? Although the Minister, rightly, speedily dealt with the gas issue, he does not seem to be getting on with the strengthening of the buildings, which is what people want. Personally, I wish he had accepted the opportunity last week to go on television and tell the people about these things.

I appreciate the point which my hon. Friend has put. There is certainly no delay, and it is in order to do everything possible to speed up the action which is required that we have already issued the criteria and that I shall be having tomorrow morning the meeting with the organisations I referred to.

Would it not be wise for the Minister to allay public anxiety on this matter by accepting the invitation and facilities offered to him by the television companies?

The hon. Gentleman will appreciate that on publication of the Report I had a Press conference, attended by some 100 representatives of the Press and television, and I later, that evening, appeared on Independent Television. I think, quite honestly, that that kind of interview is much more profitable than an interview conducted by professional entertainers.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will take further steps, by legislation or otherwise, to standardise the methods of allocation of council housing throughout the country.

At my right hon. Friend's request, the Central Housing Advisory Committee has reconstituted the Housing Management Sub-Committee, to suggest rules or principles to be followed in allocating council housing, and he will consider what further steps may need to be taken on receiving the Sub-Committee's report.

Would my hon. Friend not agree that there is still a very great deal of ill-feeling, not always justified, throughout the country, about council house allocation, and that if a standardised method could be evolved, and waiting lists made available to the general public, not only would justice be done, but it would be seen to be done?

I quite agree with my hon. Friend, and I took the opportunity when addressing the annual conference of the Institute of Housing to make this one of the main subjects of my address.

Would not the hon. Gentleman agree that there is one aspect of the problem which may benefit from standardisation, namely, the situation which arises when people in search of temporary accommodation have to move over a boundary from one area to another, as a result of which they are struck off one list and never get on the other? Would he not agree that this problem requires attention?

That is one of the points I particularly mentioned. I drew the attention of the Sub-Committee to this, and asked for its advice.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will make a statement on the working of the Rent Act, following his meeting with rent officers during the summer adjournment.

When my right hon. Friend and I met a number of rent officers in April they confirmed that in general the fair rent provisions were working well, but they thought that many more tenants could benefit by applying to the rent officer. It was to these tenants that the publicity campaign last summer was principally directed. The campaign certainly seems to have been successful in producing some increase in applications, but it is too early to assess its long-term effects.

While welcoming the general operation of the Act and the benefits that it has brought, may I ask whether my right hon. Friend could do something more to bring this to the attention of tenants—possibly by appearing on television and explaining some of its working?

On the David Frost Show.

I think that my right hon. Friend will naturally be touched by the general consensus of opinion to appear on television. But on this matter we have had a poster and television campaign which has produced encouraging results, although it is too early to say what the final effect will be.

As the Minister has said, regulation of rents has worked satisfactorily. But when will the Government carry out their promise to refer controlled rents to regulation?

That is a matter that we are likely to be looking into when we consider the problems arising from property in good repair, which will come up in connection with the White Paper.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will take steps to overcome the defects in the working of the Rent Act, 1965, which have recently been brought to light; and if he will seek to find a way to notify individual tenants, who would be likely to secure a rent reduction by taking their cases before the rent officer, of their rights.

In general the rent regulation service is working satisfactorily and I am not clear what defects my hon. Friend has in mind. Last summer's publicity campaign was directed to making better known to all concerned the rent officer's services and where they were available.

Will the Minister consider suggesting to local authorities that they go from house to house telling tenants of their rights, acting for them before the landlords and rent officers, and also checking up that decisions earlier taken are still being carried out?

I think the important thing is that all people who have local roots and influence on an area should continue to remind tenants about the importance of keeping in touch with the rent officers.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he is satisfied that information about the Rent Act, 1965, is known to many private tenants in London and other main cities and towns; and if he will make a statement.

Many more tenants could benefit by applying to their rent officers to fix a fair rent. A recent publicity campaign was aimed at making the service better known and has resulted in an increase in applications from tenants.

I recognise the substantial benefits of Labour's Rent Act, but would my hon. Friend agree that recent reports show that a number of private tenants are still being bullied and intimidated? Will my hon. Friend give a pledge today or in the near future that he will wage an all-out campaign against such racketeers who are making the lives of so many of our private tenants a misery?

We have had an inquiry into what is happening, and we are satisfied that, although there are some cases of grave abuse, by and large the Act is being obeyed and is working. I assure my hon. Friend that we all want to do all we can to express the view that this abuse is monstrous and ought to be stopped.

Is the hon. Member aware that the number of tenants covered by the Regulations under the Rent Act, 1965, is continually decreasing because of the sale of houses for owner-occupation? Would it not, therefore, be much cheaper for direct house-to-house circulars to be issued, rather than for general advertising to be conducted by the hon. Gentleman's Department?

As all politicians know, not all house-to-house circulars are read with care. What we must try to do is to ensure that the people responsible for law enforcement are aware of these powers, and that they advise people to take advantage of their rights.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if it is his policy to relate council house rents to the long-run marginal cost of providing houses.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what studies are currently in progress in his Department on the effect of interest rates on the housing revenue accounts of local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

My right hon. Friend is examining various aspects of housing finance in the light of the N.B.P.I. Report on Increases in Rents of Local Authority Housing and the Report of the Working Party on the Housing Revenue Account. We shall consider what further action is necessary when consultations with the local authorities on both Reports have been completed.

Since the nationalised industries have now been instructed to relate their charges to long-run marginal costs, will the right hon. Gentleman confirm—as I think he was endeavouring to do in his slightly complicated Answer—that it is now his intention to relate council house rents to long-run marginal costs, too?

It is my right hon. Friend's intention to consider these two reports and the action arising from them when consultations are completed.

Is the Minister prepared to consider writing off some of the outstanding capital debt on older housing which is proving a great burden on the housing revenue account?

We shall consider a number of possibilities in the light of these reports. However, at this stage I should not like to be drawn towards any particular solution.

Is the Minister aware that the proposal made by the hon. Member for Cirencester and Tewkesbury (Mr. Ridley) for introducing marginal costs would result in drastic increases in tens of thousands of council house rents? I hope that the Minister will resist this proposal.

Will the Minister tell the House approximately how much council house rents are increased by having the Bank Rate at 7 per cent. as against the old rate of 5 per cent.?

Not without notice.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government by what time he hopes to bring into effect the new increased limit of £1,000 for the discretionary grant for house improvements.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will now make known his proposals for dealing with houses in multiple occupation.

Legislation aimed at giving greater encouragement to the improvement of older houses was promised in the Queen's Speech. I shall in due course be bringing before the House a Bill based on the White Paper, Old Houses into New Homes, which will contain proposals both for raising discretionary grant limits for house improvements and for strengthening the powers concerning houses in multiple occupation.

Can the Minister tell the House when it is proposed that the new grant will be operative? By announcing his intentions long before it becomes operative, the right hon. Gentleman has created a situation where very few house improvements are going ahead due to everybody waiting for the increased grant?

The hon. Gentleman must wait for the Bill before we know when the date will be. Grants under existing conditions are still available and the number of grants approved this year has been satisfactorily high.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many representations he has received from mortgage payers who have found they are paying more after taking the option; what estimate he has made of the number or proportion of option mortgage payers to date who are worse off; and if he will now seek powers to enable them to opt out again.

Representations to this effect have been received from some 250 people. I think that very few borrowers will be worse off.

Is my hon. Friend aware that I find those figures not only unbelievable but almost quite incredible? In a scheme of this type the aim should be to reduce mortgages, and make house purchase easier. It is intolerable that some people should be worse off after going into the scheme, and they must be given the opportunity, at an early date, to opt out if they want to.

I think the real point is that 185,000 people have had an opportunity to become home owners which they would never otherwise have had but for this legislation.

Have not many of these people been lured and defrauded by the pamphlet put out by the hon. Gentleman's Department, and about which we warned him at the time of the last Finance Bill? The number of letters we then received on this subject was very many more than the very few referred to by the hon. Gentleman in his initial reply.

We debated this on 23rd July, and I said then that in revising the pamphlet we were going to see how we could make it clearer.

Would not the hon. Gentleman agree that, whatever the numbers involved, all these people have been grossly misled by the Government, and the Government ought to do something to put the matter right?

Nobody has been grossly misled. Some people have not understood a scheme which, in its early stages, is difficult to explain.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will introduce legislation to enable tenants of private furnished accommodation to obtain a greater degree of security of tenure than they can at present.

The Rent Act, 1965, increased from three to six months the period of security which rent tribunals are empowered to grant at any one time, and this may be further extended as necessary. This is certainly one of the points which could be considered in connection with any further legislation.

Does my hon. Friend not agree that the recent Shelter Report bears out the dilemma which many furnished tenants paying high rents face, in that if they go to their Rent Tribunal they provoke the landlord to take a course of action which, six or nine months later, leads to their eviction? Cannot he find a way of enabling these tenants to get fair rents without jeopardising their security of tenure?

The difficulty with furnished tenants is that we have to hold a balance between the point made by my hon. Friend and the problem of maintaining a supply of furnished lettings, where people are brought into close personal contact with their landlords.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many leaseholders have so far purchased their freeholds by making use of the machinery laid down by the Leasehold Reform Act.

This information is not available, as the purchase of freeholds under the Act is carried out by private transactions which need not be publicly recorded. But many leaseholders seem to be availing themselves of their rights under the Act or benefiting from the more favourable climate that it has created for the purchase of freeholds by leaseholders.

Does my hon. Friend not agree that many other leaseholders are holding back at present because of the uncertainty about the way in which the arbitrating machinery will work in practice, and what sort of costs the Lands Tribunal will award? Should not there be a close check in the early stages of the operation of this Act, in order that people may quickly gain confidence in it?

One very useful thing would be for associations of leaseholders to bring these cases to the Lands Tribunal so that they can get some idea of the kind of decision which will be made. This is essentially a matter for the Tribunal to decide.

Is not the Minister aware that there is still a great deal of confusion about the way in which valuations under the Act will operate? Will he take steps to try to clarify the position, if necessary by amending Clause 15?

I am sure that the hon. Member will agree that actions of this sort between private freeholders and leaseholders are matters for the Tribunal, as a judicial body, and that it is not for the Government to interfere.

It is all very well for the Minister to say that the private individual should take his case before the Land Tribunal. Is not he aware that there are now about 20 cases before the Tribunal; that they were to be heard in the autumn, but will not now be heard until the spring? Is it not because the Government drafted the Act so badly that these cases have had to be brought before the Tribunal?

I believe that the Lands Tribunal will be able to deal with cases when they arise.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will introduce legislation to give landlords of rent-restricted property a right of appeal to a tribunal over controlled rents.

My right hon. Friend has no proposals in respect of controlled tenancies other than those set out in the White Paper, Old Houses into New Homes.

Is it not disgraceful that these landlords should continue to suffer gross injustice? Is it not the duty of the Minister to provide machinery by which these rents can be reviewed and alternative accommodation with rent rebates provided for old people?

This matter can best be looked at when the legislation is available.

I acknowledge the massive contribution that the Rent Act has made in respect of the peace of mind of millions of people, but is not my hon. Friend prepared to consider that aspect of the legislation which allows landlords—because they can afford it—to engage legal representation before the Tribunal which, because of their financial limitations, tenants are unable to do?

The surveyors' body is running a pilot scheme to see how this can be done. Not many people are using the service, but to some extent it is successful.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government how many persons are now employed in the Land Commission; what is the total cost of the Commission in 1968–69; what estimate he has made of aggregation of betterment levy collected in 1968–69; what is the aggregate acreage of land acquired to date; and what arrangements he plans for a reduction in the cost of the Commission's activites and staff.

The total estimated cost of the Commission for 1968–69, as given in the Civil Estimates is £3·7 million. The estimate of levy to be collected in 1968–69 is £8·3 million. The area of land acquired to date is 46 acres, and negotiations for the acquisition of a further 1,900 acres are in hand. The staff of the Commission on 28th October, 1968, numbered 1,256, 210 less than at the beginning of the year, and the review which enabled this reduction to be made is continuing.

Does the Minister realise from these statistics, given for the first time today, the astronomical cost of this swollen bureaucracy? Could he not expedite progress towards disbandment of the Land Commission, recognise that he is wrong, adopt Tory policy and chuck it overboard?

The House will not be surprised to know that I do not accept either the hon. Gentleman's views nor his extravagant language. The Land Commission is carrying out two very important functions entrusted to it by this House. Although inevitably it got off to a slow start, both the pace and scale of its activities are now growing at a very satisfactory rate.

Will my right hon. Friend not be deterred in any way from supporting the important work of the Land Commission in its future activities? Will he remember that the answer is not to go back to Tory profiteering?

Will the Minister agree, as far as the two vital tasks are concerned, that in 1968–69 it cost £5 for every £1 of levy to be collected? On his figures it will still cost a very high proportion of each £1 collected. Will he tell the House what acreage of land which the Commission has now acquired could not have been acquired through the ordinary compulsory purchase and planning procedure?

It is obvious that I could not give an answer to the second half of that question without notice. On the earlier part of the question, clearly the cost of collecting the levy will fall rapidly, and will continue to fall, as the amount of levy collected increases. As the right hon. and learned Gentleman knows, there were considerable transitional exemptions.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government why he does not propose to publish the findings of his inter-Departmental inquiry into the South-East floods in the form of a White Paper.

My right hon. Friends and I are not conducting an inquiry so much as examining, as is done on all such occasions, whether any lessons can be learned for the future, for example over communications. I shall be sending a circular to local authorities, which will be available to the House and to the Press, about any points of concern to them that emerge. I do not consider, therefore, that a White Paper is called for.

Surely the Minister is aware that there is continuing public anxiety about such matters as flood warning and flood control? Does he understand that it is essential that these matters should be as widely aired and fully debated in public as possible?

The hon. Gentleman must have prepared his supplementary question before hearing my Answer. There is good ground for apprehension among the public about this, and that is why we are studying the problem carefully. That is why I have said that I shall be issuing guidance to local authorities, which will be available to the hon. Gentleman as well as to other hon. Members of the House.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that in the areas of my constituency which were flooded, many people feel that available warnings of flood were ignored? Would he, in the light of this, consider the possibility, particularly for the affected area of Wands-worth, of instituting a public inquiry, if only to restore some peace of mind among the people in these areas who fear a recurrence of these floods?

As I have said, the Minister of Agriculture is responsible for flood warning, and my right hon. Friend has called a meeting to discuss this subject in the very near future.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will instruct the Pontefract, Goole, and Selby Water Board to defer, during the present period of restraint on prices and incomes, the increase in water rates which it proposes to levy on residents of the Selby area of Yorkshire.

I am not aware of any proposed increase. The current water rate is higher than last year's, but it came into force last April and most of the rates have already been collected.

Is the Minister aware that he has uttered a profound understatement? May I point out that one of my constituents has suffered an increase in his water rate bill of from £8 to £41, and he pays on the same rateable value? Such a scale of increase would have invoked lynch law in an earlier age. Would he please see that this is reduced?

I agree that the increase, relatively, is very large. I also understand that water rates in Selby have been virtually unchanged since 1930. When one has standardisation, the greatest impact obviously falls on those who have the cheapest rates.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that the Pontefract, Goole and Selby Water Board is not the only Board about which there are complaints? Does he realise that for some months I have been in correspondence with his Department about the West Pennine Water Board? Is he aware that many of my constituents have had increases of between 40 per cent. and 60 per cent. and that one firm has had an increase of 376 per cent.? Does he not think that it is time for some investigation into this?

I will look into the case that my hon. Friend has raised with my Department. It is perfectly true that, when standardisation takes place, there are bound to be complaints from those whose rates go up.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what study he has made of the views of local authority associations about the control of agricultural buildings; and if he will amend the General Development Order 1963 to give local authorities tighter control.

The views of the local authority associations are being studied as part of a general review of the General Development Order. If there were any question of an amendment affecting agricultural buildings, the farming interests would, of course, be consulted.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the general view of the local authority associations, to which I have drawn his attention, is that the con trol of agricultural development is adequate and that, as the Rural District Councils Association said, the amendments on height and square footage do not adequately cater for the broiler houses and intensive pig-rearing houses, which are now being erected? Will he take account of these representations, and amend the Order accordingly?

I do not know whether the hon. Gentleman knows that I have written to him at some length upon this matter. One of the things we must do is to get co-operation between the interests involved. A conference was convened last week, under the Chairman of the Countryside Commission, as a first step in this direction.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government when he will make an Order bringing Part II of the Caravan Sites Act, 1968, into operation.

I repeat the assurance, given on 14th October, to the hon. Member, that the Order will be made as early as conditions allow, and that in the meantime loan sanction applications for the provision of permanent or temporary sites for gipsies will be sympathetically considered.—[Vol. 770, c. 34–5.]

Does the Minister agree that it is rather illogical for him to encourage local authorities to apply for loan sanctions, and to say that such applications will be sympathetically considered, yet to leave the whole of the burden of coping with the gipsy problem to those very few authorities which have actually done something in the last few months? Is he aware that only 350-odd pitches have been provided as compared with the many thousands that are needed if we are to deal with this problem adequately?

I know that the hon. Gentleman appreciates that I take as close an interest in this problem as he does, but in the present financial situation it would not be right to impose financial burdens upon local authorities who are expected to cut back as far as possible on any increases in expenditure which may be almost inevitable. Progress can be made, and is being made in various parts of the country. Certainly, loan sanction applications which come to us will be treated sympathetically.

As my right hon. Friend will be aware, now is the time when local authorities are preparing their estimates for 1969–70. Does he not realise that if Part II is not activated now it will be quite useless to attempt to activate it in six months' time, because there will not be any money available? Will he please think again and consider the extreme urgency of putting Part II into effect?

I should like to be able to give my hon. Friend that assurance, but I am afraid I cannot do so on this occasion. We have made a great step forward in getting this statutory provision, and I hope that economic circumstances in the not-too-distant future will allow further progress to be made.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what contribution he proposes to make to the flood relief funds in Wandsworth.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what financial and other help his Department is proposing to give to those who suffered in the recent floods in South-East England.

I hope to announce the Government contribution within a few days. The apportionment among appeal funds will be made when all claims on those funds have been assessed.

While thanking my right hon. Friend for that reply, may I ask whether he will take notice that what is in the mind of the public is the need for urgency in bring help? It is no use telling people, when their walls are covered with slime and their carpets are rotting, that they will have the money in future. Will the Minister in future look to a more speedy response to the problem?

There must be a speedy response all round. The help that the Government gave in a practical sense at the time of the floods was considerable. The difficulty about announcing a financial contribution is that there have been over 40 flood relief funds established. Until they have completed an appraisal of the damage in their areas and the consequent financial liabilities, it is impossible for the Government to gauge the size of the contribution which would be appropriate.

Does the Minister realise that it is now nearly two months since this disaster happened? It is a matter of the utmost urgency that people should know exactly what the extent of Government relief will be. Will the Minister give an undertaking to make a statement in this House so that hon. Members are made fully aware of the situation and can question him about this vital matter affecting their constituencies?

I am always available to be questioned by hon. Members. But the hon. Gentleman must bear in mind that most of these flood relief funds are worked by volunteers whose time is limited. They have undertaken a complex job. Until they have substantially completed their work, the Government are unable to intimate the exact amount of the contribution that will be made.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government upon what date in 1969 he proposes to grant parish status to Charvil in Berkshire.

I have explained to the hon. Member by letter that the Minister has not yet received any formal application affecting Charvil.

While thanking the Parliamentary Secretary for that letter and understanding the limitations of the statutory procedure, may I ask whether he will nevertheless, when he receives the application, remember that it comes from a very lively local community which is now long overdue for the status of a parish?

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what study he has made of the practice in other countries which operate a sales tax for raising revenue for local government purposes, in addition to taxing property; and if he will make a statement.

Overseas practice had been taken into account when the Government concluded that fundamental changes in local finance were not practicable within the existing local government structure. There will be a further review in the light of what emerges from the work of the Royal Commission on Local Government.

Did the study reveal that in Southern Ireland the 2½ per cent. sales tax is equivalent to 2s. 6d. Income Tax? Is not this one way of getting the heavy hand of Whitehall out of local government?

These matters were fully considered in the review. I should inform the hon. Gentleman that this is a national sales tax, not a local sales tax. It involves the registration of all the retail outlets, which would require a very large staff. Though it might reduce rates, it would certainly put up prices. These are not reasons why the system should not be considered, but it is not necessarily a fool-proof answer.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will introduce legislation to allow councils to raise revenue from other sources in addition to the rates.

This is a matter best considered in the context of decisions about reform of the local government structure in the light of the Report of the Royal Commission.

Is the Minister aware that the limitation of the general grant will put an intolerable burden on the owner-occupier living on a small fixed income? Will he do something to see that alternative sources are made available as soon as possible.

Pending any reform that will follow the Royal Commission's report to the Government in local gov ernment matters, the Government themselves have passed substantial legislation which gives this relief. Domestic relief to ratepayers amounted to £23 million in 1967–68, and £47 million this year, in addition to our rate rebate scheme.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what action he is taking to publicise the rate rebate scheme to ensure that those householders entitled to relief are made aware of the scheme.

It is primarily for rating authorities to secure the appropriate publicity, but the Department has helped them by printing five million leaflets and posters so far this yar, and by placing advertisements in the national Press. There have also been radio and Press reports and appearances on television. Parallel activity by voluntary organisations has been encouraged. Further campaigns will be mounted as and when appropriate.

I am much obliged to my hon. Friend for that Answer. Is he aware that since the income levels and children's allowances were changed many more families have come within the ambit of this relief? In spite of the publicity which my hon. Friend's Department has carried out, there is still a difference in the take-up between authority and authority, which is a matter for concern. Will my hon. Friend continue to press for the continuation of publicity so that people know about this?

I assure my hon. Friend that the Department, with local authorities, will take every step open to it before the new rebate period starts.

The hon. Gentleman referred to advertisements in the national Press. Are advertisements being put in the local Press as well?

There have been some in the local papers, and local authorities have taken on additional publicity as well.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether he will now authorise Wokingham Borough Council to incur the necessary expenditure to lay a foul sewer in Sandy Lane and Bearwood Road at Wokingham.

Unless there is any new evidence of urgency, I regret that the work must wait until it is possible to relax the restraint on increases in public capital investment.

Will the right hon. Gentleman look at the papers, particularly with regard to his former Ministry, and notice that the medical officer of health has given a serious warning of health hazard in this case? Does not the right hon. Gentleman feel that for that reason, if no other, he ought to look at the matter again?

I have looked at the papers. The report of the medical officer of health six months ago did not seem to indicate any immediate danger to public health, but I repeat that if there is new evidence I shall certainly consider it.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he is satisfied that there is no avoidance in the payment of betterment levy as a result of developers failing to notify the Land Commission of the intended development; and if he will make a statement.

I am satisfied that there is no widespread avoidance of betterment levy through failure to notify intended development. The Commission use a variety of sources to ensure both that the requirement to notify them of intended development is observed, and that failures to notify come to their notice. Moreover, the penalties for failure to notify are heavy enough to serve as a deterrent.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the ordinary member of the public cannot tell, from the literature sent to him, what is material development of a notifiable kind? These threats of a fine of £500 do not make the matter any clearer for the public.

I can only repeat that the evidence in my possession shows that there is no widespread avoidance.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what restrictions he intends to introduce on development in the neighbourhood of airfields where there is nuisance from jet noise.

Local planning authorities were given guidance in the Ministry's Circular 22 of 1967. I am sending the hon. Member a copy.

But has not the Minister given more specific instructions in the case of Gatwick? Having given those instructions, that in the really bad area there should be no hospitals, no schools, and not even dwellinghouses, should not this be extended to other airfields such as Stansted and Luton where aircraft noise is a growing nuisance?

The question of planning permission in the first instance, for any of these matters, is for the local planning authority, which can impose conditions in relation to building or soundproofing, or refuse permission. In these cases there may be an appeal to the Minister, and I cannot comment at this stage.

Would not my hon. Friend agree that the priorities in this question seem to be wrong? Does not he believe that the need is not to restrict development in these areas, but to have further restrictions on jet noise in areas where there is existing or proposed development?

I think that the latter part of my hon. Friend's question is really a matter for the Board of Trade, but all these matters are considered together to try to get the right balance, allowing development, and at the same time preventing the creation of intolerable conditions for people living locally.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what further measures he is considering to extend the control of advertising at business premises.

I am considering whether control should be extended to certain advertisements inside buildings but visible from outside, and whether the conditions under which advertisements may be displayed with deemed consent should be changed.

May I take it that the right hon. Gentleman is not considering the exclusion of advertising from garage forecourts in future? Is the right hon. Gentleman aware of the view expressed by Lord Robens, the President of the Advertising Association, that there is no reasonable assumption that a reduction in advertising will lead to a reduction in retail prices?

I have not reached a conclusion on the question of garage forecourts which are not part of business premises, but I am looking carefully at those situations in which what is otherwise a beautiful street or district can be spoiled by what I regard as vulgar advertisements inside some of the shop windows.

Does the right hon. Gentleman think that the public dislike advertisements inside premises? Why is he seeking more control? Will he pay attention to the extensive public opinion poll recently which showed that the public like outdoor advertising?

The Question does not refer to outdoor advertising, but I hope that the public dislike any vulgar advertising, as I am sure the hon. Gentleman does.

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government if he will extend the feasibility study on the Wash Barrage proposal to include the question of major land reclamation for agricultural, urban, and airport development.

The Water Resources Board has put in hand a desk study on water conservation within the Wash. They will appraise the case for a full feasibility study and, in consultation with Government Departments and others, will indicate those subjects, including land reclamation, navigation and communications, which might be investigated in the course of such a study.

But would my right hon. Friend agree that the present tuppeny-ha'penny study will achieve very little, and that we have an opportunity, with a worth-while study in the Wash, for possible usage of this land for agricultural purposes, for urban development, and even, perhaps, for solving the problem of a third or fourth London Airport?

I agree that those possibilities are very important, but the Government are satisfied that the best first move is to set in hand this desk study which will carry out its studies as rapidly as possible.