§ 10. Mr. Elystan Morganasked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will refer to the Welsh Economic Council the question of designating as special development areas those parts of rural Wales which find it difficult to attract industry or which suffer from a high rate of depopulation.
§ Mr. Cledwyn HughesAs my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade said on 13th March, 1968—[Vol. 760, c. 286]—the Special Development Areas have been selected as those areas within the Development Areas likely to suffer most severely from colliery closures. So far as the views of the Welsh Economic Council on the problems of rural Wales are concerned, I have nothing to add to the Answer I gave my hon. Friend on 29th January. 1968.—[Vol. 757, c. 246.]
§ Mr. MorganWould my right hon. Friend not agree that there is also a very strong case for the granting of special assistance to rural areas, which find it very difficult to attract industry since they receive the same benefits as those received by growth localities in the same development area?
§ Mr. Cledwyn HughesThe future prospects of development areas are kept under continual review. I am sure that my hon. Friend will agree that it might not be entirely beneficial if the inducements were spread too thinly over too wide a geographical area. In addition, the areas of depopulation were neglected over many years, but they are now 1592 schedule and receive substantial benefits.
§ Sir Harmar NichollsAs the help intended for the development areas has been very much weakened, for example, by the terms of the Transport Bill, what is the right hon. Gentleman doing to try and protect them?
§ Mr. Cledwyn HughesI cannot accept what the hon. Gentleman has said or the substance of his question. He should put it down for my right hon. Friend the Minister of Transport to deal with.