HC Deb 31 January 1966 vol 723 cc655-6
1. Mr. Geoffrey Lloyd

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works whether, because projects which may require licences can take more than six months to plan, he will keep developers and their architects and surveyors informed, though without commitment, about the prospects of their projects being licensed to enable planning to proceed and to avoid delays in starting.

The Minister of Public Building and Works (Mr. Charles Pannell)

The right hon. Gentleman cannot have read what I said in column 149 of the OFFICIAL REPORT of the proceedings in Standing Committee E on 27th January. I think that I went as far as his hon. Friends wanted me to go and satisfied even them.

Mr. Chichester-Clark

When communicating with the industry, will the Minister also make clear to it the present position about alterations, concerning which the Opposition made a welcome but Ministerially unforeseen alteration last week?

Mr. Pannell

I do not know whether I should be in order in speaking about what took place in Standing Committee last week, except to say that that was carried by a majority of one from Ulster in the morning while we had 5,000 votes of confidence the same night.

Mr. Speaker

We must confine our Answers to the Questions on the Order Paper, not other matters. I am not even sure whether the Minister was in order in his first Answer.

Mr. Geoffrey Lloyd

Does not the Minister realise that there is a real problem of stop-go in architects' offices that is causing considerable anxiety to a number of very responsible professional men?

Mr. Pannell

I did realise that and I was not trying to be flippant when I referred to my statement of last week, which indicates the settlement which I have made with the industry. I have taken a great deal of professional advice about this. I feel sure that the industry will be completely reassured by what I said last Thursday, as I hope he will be.