Development Areas (Hansard, 24 November 1953)

§ 48. Mr. Chetwynd
asked the President of the Board of Trade which Development Areas he is proposing to de-schedule.

§ The Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade (Mr. Henry Strauss)
My right hon. Friend has not yet decided to propose the removal of any Development Area from the First Schedule to the Distribution of Industry Act, 1945.

§ Mr. Chetwynd
Would the hon. and learned Gentleman impress on his right hon. Friend that it would be premature at this stage, in the present difficult economic situation, to consider this matter at all?

§ Mr. Strauss
If the hon. Member will study the provisions of Section 7 of the 1945 Act he will see what it is the duty of the President to do, but I would point out—as the hon. Member may already know—that no action can take place before the local authorities concerned have been consulted and that the approval of this House must be obtained.

Mr. H. Wilson
Will the hon. and learned Gentleman recognise that the position of most Development Areas is still extremely vulnerable, especially under present conditions? Will he give an assurance to the House that there will be no question of de-scheduling any areas until the President has produced the long promised White Paper on the question of development of the areas as a whole?

§ Mr. Strauss
The right hon. Gentleman is in error in thinking that a White Paper has been promised and I would refer him to answers given on this subject last week. On the other question about taking into consideration all those matters which it is the duty of the President under the Act to take into consideration, I promise that will be done.

§ Mr. Nicholson
As a lover of the English language, will my hon. and learned Friend give his opinion of the word "de-scheduling"?

§ Mr. Strauss
My hon. Friend will notice that I did not use that word.