HC Deb 17 June 1968 vol 766 cc690-2
19. Mr. Rhodes

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works whether he is satisfied that the recent use of the emergency 14-day procedure under Circular 100 of 1950 in consultation with the local planning authority in connection with the erection of workshops on the' Ministry of Social Security site at Benton, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, gave sufficient time to local residents to make adequate representations; and whether he will make a statement.

Mr. Mellish

Yes. Representations had already been received, and my officials were under specific instructions to discuss the proposal with representatives of local residents. A meeting was held on 29th May with the planning authority and local residents, who have subsequently agreed a different siting for the building.

Mr. Rhodes

Will my right hon. Friend bear in mind that he promised in writing that my constituents would be fully consulted in this matter and yet within hours of that letter being sent, his Department invoked the special emergency procedure which inevitably meant that my constituents did not even see the plans before they had to attend a meeting at which they were supposed to put their objections? Is this not a disgraceful state of affairs, and ought not the procedure to be reviewed in some way?

Mr. Mellish

I have written to my hon. Friend, and I am surprised that he put his supplementary question in those terms. I have written to him, and I have done no more than a Minister can do, that is, apologise. I have said that I am sorry for what happened. It was due to a complete misunderstanding. It should not have happened, and I can only apologise to my hon. Friend. If that is not enough, I understand that he has the matter down to be raised on the Adjournment on Friday.

20. Mr. Rhodes

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works whether his recent decision to stop the building of an engineering workshop and maintenance depot at the Ministry of Social Security site at Benton, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, arose from the requirement to consult local opinion; and whether he will make a statement.

Mr. Mellish

The decision to stop building was taken when it was realised that owing to a misunderstanding over procedure my Department had not sought Circular 100 clearance.

Mr. Rhodes

Does my right hon. Friend agree that, having made an apology for a mistake, it was rather bad public relations immediately to use the emergency procedure to hold consultations with my constituents?

Mr. Mellish

I think that part of the trouble is my hon. Friend's own ignorance on the matter. There is no requirement to consult the local residents under Circular 100 procedure. The views of local planning authorities should be obtained about Government building projects, and it is for the local government people to consult the local residents before the local planning authority expresses a view. That is what did not happen in the first instance in this case, but I have now remedied this as a result of the representations, and I have already apologised for the earlier trouble.

Mr. Allason

The circular recognises that the special emergency procedure should be used only very rarely and that in 14 days it would not be possible for local authorities to consult local opinion. On how many occasions has the procedure been used? Will the Minister consult his right hon. Friend the Minister of Housing and Local Government to see that it is abolished on the introduction of the new procedure under the Town and Country Planning Bill?

Mr. Mellish

I cannot say how many times this has happened. I have been in my present office for 10 months and, to the best of my knowledge, it has never occurred before. In this case, the local people were under the impression that somebody else had obtained local planning permission. They started the job and suddenly realised that no local planning permission had been obtained. The job was immediately stopped and consultations took place. I do not know how many more times I have to say how very sorry I am that it happened, and I apologise.

Mr. Chichester-Clark

Would the Minister have a good look at the whole question underlying this deplorable matter? Will he accept from us that he apologises more gracefully and more often than any other Minister?

Mr. Mellish

I do not know that I apologise more often. This is the first time that I have ever had to do it. When this case was brought to my notice a change was made. As the matter is to be raised on the Adjournment on Friday, perhaps we can have a good, hearty discussion then.