§ 12. Mr. William Edwardsasked the Secretary of State for Wales whether he has circulated all local authorities and nationalised industries with regard to releasing any land they have surplus to requirements for house-building purposes; and whether he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Gibson-WattNo, Sir. I have no evidence that there is a general shortage of land for house building in Wales.
§ Mr. EdwardsCan the hon. Gentleman explain why the Department of the Environment, which I would not hold out as the perfect example to other Government Departments, has twice circularised local authorities to see whether they could release more land for building? Is he aware that in many parts of Wales, even in Mid-Wales, there is a grave shortage of building land which is forcing up house prices even in small towns like Aberystwyth and Dolgellau to unacceptable levels when a great deal of land in the control of local authorities and nationalised industries is available?
§ Mr. Gibson-WattThe hon. Gentleman's information is different from mine. It is not accepted that there is a shortage of building land in Wales, except in South-East Glamorgan. Officials of the Welsh Office recently met representatives of the National Federation of Building Trades Employers and of Glamorgan County Council and the Cardiff City Council and they discussed whether the councils could release more building land.
§ Mr. Alan WilliamsIs the hon. Gentleman aware that there is an attempt to take over common land in Swansea for building purposes? Will he give a guarantee and make a positive statement of Government policy that in no circumstances will common land in Wales be released for speculative house building?
§ Mr. Gibson-WattWhat the hon. Gentleman says is news to me, but if he would like to write to me about it I will look into it.