The Joint Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Technology (Mr. Alan Williams)With your permission, Mr. Speaker, I should like to make a personal statement about the number of areas in which smoke control orders have been suspended.
I said yesterday, in answer to a supplementary question from the hon. Member for Honiton (Mr. Emery), that there were six. In fact, a further nine were suspended at the end of last week. The total now, therefore, is 15.
As soon as I discovered this error I felt that the House should be informed. I accept full responsibility for this inadvertent inaccuracy and sincerely apologise to the House and to the hon. Member concerned. I would also like to thank you, Mr. Speaker, for allowing me to make this statement.
§ Mr. EmeryMay I thank the Minister for making this statement as quickly as he has and in the manner that he has? As this has been brought to our attention in the national Press, we are most grateful to him that he should do it and do it immediately.