asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he is aware of the backlog of rating appeals from the Urban District of Whitefield; and what plans he has to ensure that they are disposed of with greater speed.

The arrangements for hearing rating appeals from this area are a matter for the East Lancashire Valuation Panel. I understand that 160 appeals are out- standing, of which about 135 relate to the effect of motorway construction and subsequent use; the latter are all expected to be heard by the end of July.

:I thank my hon. Friend for that reply. Would he agree, however, that it is an unsatisfactory situation both for the individuals concerned, who have undergone a certain amount of anxiety, particularly during the period of motorway construction, and for the council because of the long delay in settling these matters? Some cases go back over a number of years, the oldest dating back to April, 1969.

It is the statutory duty of the chairman of the panel to arrange the business and that is a matter in which I cannot interfere. I understand that the panel decided that it would be more convenient to deal with all these cases after the motorway had been opened. But individuals do not suffer because any decision will be made retrospective to the beginning of the rating period in which the proposal was made.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will pay an early visit to Swindon.

I visited there last month.

Nobody noticed.

:I am sorry that the right hon. Gentleman did not inform me that he was there last month. Nevertheless, he obviously omitted to do a very important job while there by paying a visit to the British Railways workshops and speaking to the employees about the chaos caused by the shifts and twists of the Railways Board's policy. Is he aware that, particularly amongst the 1,300 men who are expected to be made redundant, there is a great deal of frustration and fear? Will he now pay a visit to Swindon again with the express purpose of speaking to people working at the workshops?

My right hon. Friend the Minister for Transport Industries has of course visited Swindon during the past months. The proposals of the British Railways Board for a reduction of the labour force at the workshops is a matter for the board to decide as future rolling stock requirements are calculated by the board itself. But I am aware of the problems.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will establish a commission to examine the implications of the control of pollution on general growth strategies.

The Government have constantly under attention the effects on growth of all their policies. I see no case for a commission concerned specifically with the effects of pollution control.

Will the right hon. Gentleman indicate what international consultations he may have had about whether existing national growth rates are compatible with preserving an "ecosystem", even with social cost accounting and the recycling of resources being widely adopted, which is not the case now, or whether national growth rates need to be reduced at least in some respects by international agreement?

:I have consulted the United States and most European Governments and this matter will, of course, be the theme of the Stockholm conference later this year. In general, it is not so much stopping growth which is important, but the nature of the growth which takes place. It is essential, if we are to remove a great deal of poverty, distress and ugliness, to obtain economic growth.

While I am strongly in favour of all possible international discussion, I hope and believe that the right hon. Gentleman will not fall into the appalling trap of lecturing the impoverished nations from a position of comparative affluence on our part on the evils of economic growth and prosperity.

I very much agree with the right hon. Gentleman. If we are to remove the terrible areas of poverty and distress in this country, the one way to do it is by economic growth.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is considering further help for the provision of mortgage finance to sitting tenants in local authority housing and those on waiting lists who wish to become home owners but whose income excludes them from obtaining building society mortgages.

Local authorities are already free to take mortgage loans of up to 100 per cent. of valuation to their sitting tenants and people reasonably high on their waiting lists.

:While I accept that the Government have made mortgage finance more readily available, and that interest rates are now lower than they were under the previous Government, would my right hon. Friend agree that there is a good case for advising local authorities to adopt the type of scheme that has been adopted in Luton to make mortgage finance more readily available for those on low incomes?

I agree with my hon. Friend. I have already approved schemes prepared by the boroughs of Hillingdon and Newham and I am greatly encouraged by and attracted to proposals coming up in Luton, Brighton and elsewhere which have as their aim the purpose which both the Government and my hon. Friend are anxious to secure.

Will the right hon. Gentleman consider helping local authorities which want to build houses for sale as well as for letting, thus providing homes for owner-occupation among the younger generation at a lower price than is presently obtainable?

As a broad matter of principle I agree with Lord Greenwood that the building of houses for sale is usually best left to developers. I have no ideological objection to councils building for sale where builders or developers are not prepared to come in and do the job.

Would my right hon. Friend consider whether local authorities could grant second mortgages, secured after a building society's interest in a property?

Yes, I will certainly consider that.

Has the right hon. Gentleman any ideological objections to giant industrial combines granting mortgage finance to people working in such com bines on the basis that it may well lead to another development in the tied cottage system?

I have no ideological objections, but I should like time to study the practical implications of the hon. Gentleman's question.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he proposes to introduce legislation to govern the conditions under which self-drive hire vehicle firms operate; and if he will make a statement.

No, Sir.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that I find that a very disappointing reply? In view of the constant use of the vehicles I have described in my Question, and the need to reassure hirers as to the condition of vehicles, does he consider that it would be a good thing to require perhaps an annual roadworthiness test, more stringent than that for private cars, with the requirement that the certificate be displayed on the vehicle before it leaves the premises?

:I hate to disappoint my hon. Friend, but in this instance I hope he will consider that a mere multiplication of law and regulations on this subject could be an embarrassment to the good firms while achieving nothing with respect to those who disobey the law.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the condition of some of these self-drive hire vehicles represents an appalling menace on the roads? Can he stand aside and do nothing about it?

It is a question not of standing aside but of effectively enforcing the law as it is. This is already difficult enough and I do not want to add to the volume of law which would then be inadequately enforced.

Has the right hon. Gentleman seen the report in Which? on this subject which says that many of these cars are in a very bad condition, including cars run by some of the most reputable firms? Is it not time that he studied further the recommendation of the Consumers Association that there should be a licensing system?

:I have seen that report and have given it the most careful consideration. I doubt very much whether the mere increase of licensing systems, however much satisfaction they may give to us in this House, would necessarily achieve the desired results.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the number of prosecutions during the last 12 months in the greater London area for the failure of landlords to supply their tenants with rent books.

Greater London figures have not been distinguished from the national statistics and I am arranging that this is done. I will write to the hon. Member when the 1971 figures are available.

I thank the hon. Gentleman for that reply. Irrespective of what the figures show, is he aware of the great problems of many tenants in London living in deplorable accommodation, paying excessive rents yet without a rent book which would at least show them who was the landlord or the agent of the property in which they live? Could not the Government embark on a massive publicity campaign to bring home to people what are their rights, because unfortunately in London, certainly in inner London, this is just one of the many abuses that decent, honest hard-working people faced with a housing shortage have to experience?

I understand and appreciate the point made by the hon. Gentleman but local authorities are in the best position to judge what action is needed to see that rent books are provided for weekly tenants.

Is my hon. Friend aware that only weekly tenants have the right to have particulars of the landlord and that anyone other than a weekly tenant can do so only if he takes the landlord to court on a criminal charge? There are no other means.

My hon. Friend will be aware that the Francis Committee made recommendations in this respect which are being considered.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what reply he has sent to Oldham County Borough's letter of 11th April requesting the assistance of his Department to establish a countryside park at Oldham Edge.

Oldham County Borough Council has been told that derelict land reclamation grant would be available. I am sending to the hon. Member a copy of the letter which has been sent to the council.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that I welcome that reply which is extremely encouraging and I hope he will continue the policy of encouraging co-operation by local authorities to provide much-needed open-air recreational facilities in densely populated areas such as south-east Lancashire?

:The difficulty in this case was that the application was for a countryside park and the area was not in the countryside. Nevertheless, the derelict land grant will take its place.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what new steps he now intends to take to prevent profiteering in the sale of houses which have been improved with governmental financed grants.

We have no new steps in mind

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that that is simply not good enough? Is he further aware that there was considerable dismay and anger at his own cynical and inhuman comments on this problem a week or two ago, when he said that this was part of the price we had to pay for improving our older houses? Does he realise that it need not be part of the price if the Government were prepared to take firm action against property speculators?

The hon. Gentleman will remember that before the Housing Act, 1969, there were restrictive conditions—for example, a proportion of grant had to be repaid if a house was resold for owner-occupation within a period of three years. Lord Greenwood, very rightly in my view—[Hon. Members: "No."]—decided that this was a restrictive operation and it was removed in the 1969 Act. I do not want to see anything done that would restrict or slow down——

Profiteering.

the tempo. What we need to see is more capital put into house improvement.

Everyone wants to see the improvement programme being a success, but the Minister's reply is appallingly complacent. Is he aware that the process described by my hon. Friend is now becoming a national scandal? Is he not aware that the effect of this process, although it was not of course the intention of investment grants, is to remove increasing amounts of housing from the reach of low-income families and convert them into better-off property for better-off people? I suggest that there is now a case for exerting some sort of control over the use to which improvement grants are put.

The right hon. Gentleman is off-beam here. No controlled or regulated tenancy can be the subject of an eviction order. It is only where a property happens to fall vacant, where a landlord or owner gets vacant possesion, that this situation can arise. It does not occur on a large scale and there have been a great many misrepresentations in the Press about this. I saw, for instance, an article which claimed that a developer had paid £100,000 to buy 100 houses, had received £100,000 in grants and had sold them for £240,000. The implication was that the man made £140,000 profit. He could not have got £100,000 grant without paying £100,000 himself.

Would my right hon. Friend agree that the shortage of housing can be remedied only by increased supply and that improvement grants make a major contribution towards that?

Of course, my hon. Friend is absolutely right. Where a house is improved and is saved from becoming a slum there is a net gain of one to the housing market, and if it is converted into two or more flats there may be a net gain of two or three.

Does the right hon. Gentleman accept that his replies to these questions in this exchange show complete ignorance of what is happening? Would he not accept that the operation of the improvement grants has resulted in taking hundreds if not thousands of properties out of the rented sector and out of the controlled sector as well? Is he not aware that there are many other ways of getting rid of regulated and controlled tenants, and which are used through legal processes? Will the right hon. Gentleman now have a look at this and take a serious interest in it? It does not matter to me or to my constituents whose fault all this is, but it is a fact that all this is happening and we want something done about it.

I hesitate to be personal in reply to the hon. Member's question, but I think that in this case it is he who displays ignorance. If I were in his shoes; I would not advocate the maintenance of bad housing for the lower income groups.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many people have been killed in accidents on the M1 since its opening.

Five hundred and sixty-three, up to the end of November, 1971.

Is that not an appalling figure despite all that has been done by successive Ministers of Transport over many years to improve motorway safety? Is there anything further that the Ministry can do, or have we to rely upon the good sense of the majority to get across the antics of the maniac minority?

Certainly it is appalling that so many lives should be lost on the roads, and certainly, too, my right hon. Friend is doing a very great deal to assist through his actions in respect of the motor car, the road, signalling and the rest; but in the end it is a matter of drivers driving sensibly in their own self interest.

Would my hon. Friend agree that the death toll on the motorways can perhaps be reduced when we bring in the new national motorway signalling system? Could he give an indication of when we can expect this system to be brought in?

Yes. A considerable length of the system already is working, and more will be brought in as rapidly as possible.

Does the hon. Gentleman recollect that at my request he has introduced police controls on the New Kent Road and that the result has been very largely to increase driving and personal safety? Does he not realise that on the motorways something similar could be done? There has to be control of speed because that is the cause of death on the roads. Will the Minister try to introduce a similar system on the motorways?

My right hon. Friend does his utmost within his resources to prevent people from driving like maniacs, but the plain fact of the matter is that with so many vehicles on the roads nowadays, and with the stretching of the resources of the police, the main responsibility for road safety must rest with drivers and pedestrians themselves.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will make orders to prevent commercial vehicles which have exhaust emission on the wrong side of the vehicle using British roads.

No, Sir.

:Does my right hon. Friend realise that it is not expensive or difficult to have an emission pipe on both sides of a vehicle with control from the cab? There are vehicles going from Britain into Europe causing the same problem through spraying the exhaust on to bus queues and while waiting in traffic jams.

Wherever one puts the pipe, it will annoy somebody as long as it lets out filth. The point is to cut down the filth.

In view of his last reply will the right hon. Gentleman take firmer action to make quite sure that the emission of filth is kept to a minimum? Is he not aware that with advanced technology it is possible to get this filth down to the absolute minimum? Will he now really enforce the regulations about this?

:I am very sorry to have to tell the hon. Gentleman that he is a bit behind the times. Already vehicles are not allowed to be manufactured if they allow avoidable smoke, and from October this year—[Interruption]—I do not know why the hon. Member wants to mock this subject. It is serious. The trouble is that hon. Gentlemen ask questions and then, when they fear that the answers may be unacceptable, they will not listen to them. I can tell the hon. Gentleman that from October this year all new vehicles must be so constructed that they meet the smoke emission limits laid down by the British Standard on diesel engines. This means that the smoke emitted will be scarcely visible in ordinary conditions.

While recognisingand supporting the new measures coming along, I would point out that it always takes time before new rules apply to all vehicles. Will the right hon. Gentleman therefore take steps to strengthen enforcement and the number of enforcement officers on the job, because the disturbing feature of the otherwise excellent Bill concerning foreign vehicles and enforcement is that it will take enforcement officers from their existing jobs to enforce the new legislation, because the Bill says that no extra staff are involved, and this would be a retrograde step?

:The most effective way of dealing with this problem is on the vehicle itself. Road side checks and enforcement measures are very difficult to pursue. The number of police and officials from my Department who would be called upon to make enforcement thoroughly effective would be very large indeed. Enforcement will always be a very difficult problem.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made by the working party set up by his Department to examine the use of tacographs; when he expects to receive a report; and whether he will make a statement.

It is making useful progress.

Does not the Minister realise that he has been saying that since last November? This is a most important matter which ought to be considered very carefully. Does not the right hon. Gentleman understand that the unions are concerned, the operators are concerned and especially the manufacturers of tachographs are concerned? When is he going to do something about it?

When the time is ripe.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will take steps to make all historic sites the subject of special preservation orders.

I appreciate my hon. Friend's concern, but I would rather rely in the first place on voluntary agreement and good will rather than on compulsory powers.

But would my right hon. Friend not agree there is very considerable anxiety about the time element here and that we must do something to prevent developers covering up the traces of very valuable sites before they have been properly excavated? That is really the purpose of my Question.

Indeed. As I say, I share my hon. Friend's concern. I think he will have seen the text of representations made by my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Dover (Mr. Peter Rees). We were in good time to stop anything going wrong with the classis Britannica fort. I am sure that if hon. Members are vigilant, we can be sure of avoiding any major mistake of this kind.

In cases like that of Baynard's Castle, have not voluntary agreement and good will been remarkable by their absence?

:My latest information is that great responsibility has been shown by the City of London Corporation. I do not think that anything has been done to which the hon. Gentleman could take exception.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that the whole of the County of Rutland is an historic site and that draft proposals have been put forward which would amalgamate us with the pie country of Melton Mowbray? This is wholly unacceptable to us. Will my right hon. Friend put a preservation order on the County of Rutland?

:If there were any danger of these boundary changes affecting my hon. Friend, I would put a preservation order on him. Further questions on this matter should be addressed to my hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government and Development.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will direct the working party, which he has set up to review the vehicle testing system, to bring forward proposals to empower testers to dismantle vehicles where there is a reasonable suspicion of a hidden fault.

I will certainly ask the working party to look into this point.

Does my hon. Friend agree that as the present methods of testing for corrosion are inadequate, where an examiner has reasonable cause for suspicion he should be required to withhold the MOT certificate pending the dismantling of the car at the owner's expense, to ensure that unsafe cars are excluded both from the roads and from being offered for sale to unsuspecting purchasers? Would not this constitute an important measure of road safety and consumer protection?

I have a great deal of sympathy with the point made by my hon. Friend. I think she will accept that the tester is concerned only with whether the vehicle is safe to be put on the road, and the best advice he can give to an owner is to take expert advice from his own garage on whether his vehicle is roadworthy.

Is it not time that the Minister's Department accepted the Swedish practice of publishing annually a report showing which manufacturers' vehicles are most defective and in what way they are most defective?

There are many features of Swedish practice from which no doubt we can learn, and there are other features which we can well do without.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will set up an independent investigation into safety precautions on railway tracks, particularly those using the third rail principle.

No, Sir.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that many people feel that British Railways have been very slow in protecting their railways from children, particularly where a third rail system is in operation, and that an independent inquiry would set minds at rest, particularly in my constituency?

I am aware that there have been some unpleasant and serious accidents in my hon. Friend's constituency. I stress the immense care which is taken by British Railways and the fact that they cannot possiby fortify railway lines against trespassers, whether children or adults. Accidents, particularly those involving children, receive the careful attention of the Chief Inspecting Officer.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will list the local planning authorities which have so far been asked to submit structure plans for his approval, following a commencement order under the Town and Country Planning Act, 1968; and which have actually done so.

One hundred and five of the 126 local planning authorities in England and outside London have been invited to prepare or discuss arrangements for preparing structure plans for all or part of their area. As the list is long I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Is my right hon. Friend satisfied that the result will be to make more land available for residential purposes?

Yes, I am sure it will, and I hope that other orders will be made when the Town and Country Planning (Amendment) Bill is enacted.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many Operation Eyesore schemes, from how many local authorities in the North-West Region, have been approved by his Department; and if he is satisfied with the response.

So far 110 schemes from 21 local authorities in the North-West Region have been approved. Many more have been submitted for consideration. This is a good start, but there is a great deal more to be done.

Is it possible to ask local authorities how many people are employed on these projects, and will my right hon. Friend be viewing some of the schemes so as to encourage others?

Rather than try to get a statistical analysis, I prefer to use the efforts of our regional offices to urge local authorities to submit many more schemes in the coming months.

:Will my right hon. Friend consider making flexible the terminal date of the scheme where local authorities have been dilatory in responding to this imaginative idea? If local authorities have put forward useful schemes which help both the environment and the unemployment situation, may I ask him not to be too rigid about the terminal date?

There is great advantage in sticking to the terminal date as this activates local authorities to act quickly instead of dithering in decision making.

:In view of his interest in unemployment in the North West, will the right hon. Gentleman consider how unemployment in the area can be relieved and impress upon local authorities the importance of reducing unemployment?

:I remind the hon. Gentleman that grants of 75 per cent. to 85 per cent. are available for the clearance of derelict land, the improvement of old houses, slum clearance and Operation Eyesore. Taken together these grants represent an injection of capital into the infrastructure which has never before been seen either in this country or any other country.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the current levels of housing cost yardsticks with a view to updating them.

I am now considering representations from the local authority associations about changes in the level of housing cost yardstick.

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for that reply. It is almost 13 months since housing cost yardsticks were last updated. In view of the increase in construction costs since then, will my hon. Friend look at this matter urgently, as outdated cost yardsticks inhibit good housing design?

I am examining all available information to see whether another increase is necessary. My hon. Friend will remember that the yardstick was increased by about 8 per cent. as recently as last September.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will ensure that any addition to the Palace of Westminster will be constructed in Portland stone.

No, Sir. If my hon. Friend is referring to the proposed parliamentary extension this is a matter for the House itself to decide.

Is not Portland stone the loveliest and most hardwearing stone in the world, and will not my right hon. Friend encourage the maximum use of it in all public buildings, as he did for the extension of the Tate Gallery? Is he aware that my constituents in Portland are as willing to supply the highest quality Portland stone in any quantity as they were in the days of Christopher Wren?

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for referring to the appreciation I have shown of the qualities of Portland stone, and I am sure his remarks will be carefully noted by the Services Committee and the House as a whole.

Is the Minister taking care to ensure that any additions will not affect the stability of existing buildings? Is he satisfied that the underground garage will not affect the foundations of the buildings surrounding New Palace Yard, and is he aware that the tower of Big Ben is already slightly out of perpendicular?

I naturally appreciate the hon. Gentleman's concern. I have of course, with my lack of technical knowledge, been careful to probe as deeply as possible the advice of experts on this matter. They are all unanimous in advising that we can go forward with the proposed project if the House and the Services Committee agree on the basis which has been put forward.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that Portland stone is the best—not merely because it comes from Dorset, or even South Dorset? If it cannot be used for this operation, can it be used to repair the Treasury, the Home Office, the Foreign Office, the India Office, Scotland Yard and Richmond Terrace in a small way, so as to ensure the preservation of these buildings, if not for all time, certainly for a very long time to come?

My hon. Friend can be sure that I shall, as always, take notice of his advice.

:Is the Minister aware that many hon. Members regard the proposed new building as an architectural monstrosity——

Order. I do not think that point can possibly arise on this Question.

:On a point of order. I am sorry to delay the House, Mr. Speaker, but I had not completed my supplementary question. I was leading to the argument that stone should be used for the new building instead of the monstrosity which is now proposed——

:Order. The hon. Member appears to be going into the merits. He said that his supplementary question was leading to an argument. Supplementary questions are not meant to lead to arguments.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will now set up a National Land Agency to centralise information on the availability of land suitable for residential development.

No, Sir. I consider that this can best be done on a regional basis.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that that reply will be received with disappointment in areas like Bromley by young people who have been watching the escalation of land and house prices with growing dismay and despair? Is he aware that recently the idea was floated of a revised Domesday Book and that this idea had a favourable reception? Will he therefore think again about this?

I think my hon. Friend has misunderstood my answer. What I said was that this matter would be better dealt with on a regional basis—for example, land problems in the South East are different from those in any other region. I am in favour of the Domesday Book concept for the South East.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on his assessment of the results of the measures taken about land prices, and on the latest measure that he has taken.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he is satisfied with the amount of building land that has been made available by urban authorities in response to his request; and if he will make a statement.

Now that demand has been stimulated we are considering further initiatives to promote the release of building land and decisions will be announced shortly.

The Secretary of State will not want to anticipate tomorrow's discomfiture. Meanwhile, is he aware that his unsympathetic inactivity is aggravating the land prices scandal which is already worse than that prior to the 1964 election?

As for my discomfiture tomorrow, there is only one year in recent years when land prices went up faster than last year, and that was 1969, when the policies of the right hon. Gentleman as the Minister responsible for land were having their full effect.

Is my right hon. Friend aware that the response to his excellent Circular 10/70 has been rather disappointing?

:No, Sir. I think that these matters take time. In terms of areas of main land pressure—the Midlands and the South East—there are indications that our policy of pursuing sensible regional planning strategies is having some success.

:Is it not increasingly obvious that the only effective way of stopping this rocketing of land prices is some form of public ownership in order to give local authorities the power to take over land at its existing use value—that is, at its agricultural value—at the time that planning permission is given rather than letting it increase in value up to tenfold once planning permission is given?

I am sure that the House has witnessed how the nationalisation of resources such as coal, electricity and gas has resulted in the stabilisation of prices?

For the benefit of those of us who are genuinely anxious to establish the cause, will my right hon. Friend accept that one of the major difficulties is the absence of statistics? When one asks how much land has been released in this or that area in the last year or the year before, his Department does not know. Though it is not my right hon. Friend's fault, will he do what he can to remedy this?

:Yes, Sir. That is why in a number of regions of the country it is necessary to establish a situation in which more details are given to the public and developers about the land available.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received about cement dust fall-out on Thamesside; and what action his Department is taking as a result.

I have been receiving from the Chief Alkali and Clean Air Inspector special reports at two-monthly intervals on emissions of dust from the cement works at North fleet. I am asking North fleet Urban District Council for further evidence and shall consider in the light of this whether further action is required.

:I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for that answer. In view of the Second Report of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution which disputes the need for confidentiality, will he give special consideration to giving local authorities a statutory right to information about the amount of emission from individual chimneys?

I am well aware of the immense red dust problem in my hon. Friend's constituency, because for six years I attempted to win the constituency and I know it rather well. I will consider his proposals.

Will the right hon. Gentleman insist that everything possible is done for the people who live in the cement dust areas such as West Thurrock where there is more cement dust than anywhere else in the world? Does he appreciate that I have been questioning various Governments about this matter for more than 20 years? Does he realise that the people in the area do not believe that the nuisance is unavoidable, nor do they believe that everything possible is being done to protect them—and nor do I?

:I realise that this is an immense problem on Thamesside which causes a great deal of distress to people living in that area. I assure the hon. Gentleman that I shall do everything possible to speed up the programme.

:Since modern techniques of cement production are now bringing new problems, has my right hon. Friend any plans to extend the terms of reference, and above all to increase the powers, of the Alkali Inspectorate?

:I shall examine this suggestion and will try to arrange ministerial discussions with leaders of the cement industry to see how speedily progress can be made.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what effect the policies of the Government with regard to the provision of housing have had on the price of houses for sale.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is now taking to halt the rise in house prices in southern Hampshire.

Our policies are aimed at increasing the supply of houses for sale where there is the demand. This is the most effective answer to rising house prices.

When does the right hon. Gentleman intend to announce constructive proposals to deal with this housing ramp? Is he not aware that as a result of his abdication of responsibility, thousands of families of working-class people who would like to own their own homes cannot afford to do so because of astronomical prices? When will he do something about the situation instead of sitting back and allowing property speculators to benefit?

I could make a constructive proposal in answer to the hon. Gentleman's question—[An HON. MEMBER: "I doubt it."] Last year 60,000 to 70,000 council tenants moved into private owner-occupation. If local authorities were prepared, as we are prepared to authorise them to do it, to sell council houses at a 20 or even 30 per cent. discount, the pressure at the lower end of the owner-occupied market would be immensely relieved.

:Is the Minister aware that house prices in south Hampshire have almost doubled in the last five years? Has he read the statements by local representatives of building societies that it is almost impossible for young couples in south Hampshire to buy their own houses? When will he do something about the situation?

I am very aware of the problem—and perhaps in some cases more aware than any right hon. or hon. Member in this House, because the matter is on my desk every day of the week and it is something about which I feel very deeply. The fact is that in south Hampshire and elsewhere the moment a house comes on to the market it is taken up. We have today a situation where demand is backed by effective finance—a very different situation from the one with which the right hon. Member for Coventry, East (Mr. Crossman) was dealing in 1966 when he drew attention to the number of houses standing empty for sale which people could not afford to buy. Now people can afford to do so.

:In view of the comment made about the thousands of people who are unable to buy houses because of the increased prices, would my right hon. Friend care to comment on the fact that thousands of council house tenants who would like to buy houses have been prevented from so doing by labour-controlled authorities?

I agree entirely with my hon. Friend. If local authorities would be prepared to offer for sale council houses at a 20 or 30 per cent, discount, as they are authorised to do, this would greatly relieve the pressure at the lower end of the owner-occupied market.

Is the Minister aware that in this context the question of the sale of council houses is a complete red herring? When he says that the rise in the price of land is fundamentally due to greater demand because of greater house-building, is he not aware that the rate of starts this year is substantially lower than it was five years ago, whereas land prices are far higher? When will he realise the basic and fundamental fact that the problem of land prices is not soluble if left entirely to market forces?

The right hon. Gentleman amusingly refers to the situation which existed five years ago when he was still getting the benefit of measures taken by a Conservative Government. The impressive fact is that last year private house starts were up 26 per cent. on the year before, and the rate at which they have been going over the last three months shows that they are doing a good deal better than the average figure last year. The supply is coming into balance with demand, but this process takes time, following the trough into which the Labour Party drove the construction industry.

In view of the unsatisfactory nature of the Minister's reply, I beg to give notice that I shall seek to raise this matter on the Adjournment at the earliest possible moment.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to reach a decision on the public inquiry on the development of Luton Airport.

My right hon. Friend will give his decision as soon as possible after he has received and considered the inspector's report.

Is my hon. Friend aware that the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has decided not to put any control on flying at Luton Airport until the result of the inquiry is known? Does my hon. Friend appreciate that in consequence there is a vast increase in flying this summer and that those who live under the flight paths of Luton Airport are having a miserable time? Therefore, will he please ensure that there is a very early decision on the report?

We are expecting the report early next month. It would be quite wrong for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry to make any order under his new powers before my right hon. Friend has had an opportunity to consider the report.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what proposals he has received from local authorities in East Suffolk for grants towards maintenance of rural bus services in the county; and what grants are currently being paid in respect of each service.

A local authority is not required to notify me in advance of proposals for assisting rural bus services, but I understand that the East Suffolk County Council is currently paying some £7,000 a year in grant to which the Exchequer contributes half.

:Is my right hon. Friend aware that this is becoming an increasing social problem in rural areas because under Conservative prosperity more and more people own their own cars, leaving a small, hard core of elderly people. This means that bus companies cannot run buses because they run at a loss. Will he consider licensing small, one-man buses to cope with some of this need locally?

I am well aware of the problem, and I am hoping that the legislative programme will permit me before too long to put some of my proposals before the House.

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what further steps he intends to take to improve the standard of driving on motorways.

A special campaign is to be mounted urging drivers to leave sufficient space between them and the vehicles ahead of them. We shall also give further guidance about driving in fog and stressing the need for good lane discipline.