HC Deb 17 February 1966 vol 724 cc1520-1
26. Mr. Derek Page

asked the President of the Board of Trade what criteria, apart from unemployment, he is now taking into account in designating development areas.

Mr. Darling

As explained in Command Paper 2874, the development areas will be chosen with reference to the Government's wider regional policies and will take account of all relevant economic circumstances. In particular, account will be taken of such factors as population change, including migration, and employment trends as well as the level of unemployment.

Mr. Page

Will my hon. Friend bear in mind the scandalous variations in earnings between different regions and the fact that earnings in parts of East Anglia just about equal National Assistance in the development areas? Will he give an assurance that the lines of division in the White Paper on investment allowances will not be the last word when legislation is introduced?

Mr. Darling

Yes, Sir. I think that my hon. Friend knows, because of his persistent questioning, which I very much welcome, that we are taking earnings into account in some circumstances, and we will certainly follow up the last part of his question.

Mr. Patrick Jenkin

Is it not entirely inconsistent with the Government's designation of the new development areas, thus getting away from the concept of smaller development districts, that they should have excluded from the development areas, as it were, pockets of non-development areas, such as Edinburgh, North Wales and South Wales?

Mr. Darling

At the moment we are discussing King's Lynn.

Mr. Jenkin indicated dissent.

Mr. Darling

In regard to King's Lynn—[Interruption.] If I can take King's Lynn as an example of the issues which my hon. Friend raised in the Question, King's Lynn has an overspill arrangement with London which we think will work out just as satisfactorily as treating it as a development district, and I am assured that this is how it will work.

Mr. Speaker

Ingenious, but too long.