HC Deb 01 July 1969 vol 786 cc211-2
3. Mr. Hooley

asked the Secretary of State for Wales how many acres of derelict land in Wales were acquired by the Land Commission in 1968.

Mrs. Hart

I have been asked to reply.

None, Sir.

Mr. Hooley

While recognising that my right hon. Friend is not an expert on Wales, or yet on dereliction and probably not even on the Land Commission, may I ask whether she would not agree that the Land Commission could play a useful rôle in the acquisition and management of land where there are serious dereliction problems?

Mrs. Hart

Yes. As my hon. Friend will know, I have tried to discover the background to his Question and to his anxiety. I think that he knows, from the correspondence which he has already had with my colleagues, that the Commission has made clear its willingness to help local authorities by acquiring derelict sites and passing them on to the authorities concerned. I should stress, in the light of his correspondence, that there is nothing to prevent amenity projects being grant-earning, so long as their justification includes making the area more attractive for industry.