HC Deb 03 April 1974 vol 871 cc1244-6
12. Mr. Adley

asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he has any plans to pay an official visit to Clay Cross.

Mr. Crosland

I have at present no plans to do so.

Mr. Adley

That is probably a very wise decision. Will the right hon. Gentleman take an opportunity to censure the aggressive and arrogant behaviour of a small number of people in Clay Cross and reject the outrageous proposals made by his right hon. Friend the Leader of the House at the last Labour Party conference? Will he take an opportunity to tell the House and the country where he stands in the battle of thuggery versus the rule of law?

Mr. Crosland

The hon. Gentleman was a Member in the last Parliament, so he knows perfectly well where I stand on the rule of law. On the more general questions he raises, a Government statement on Clay Cross will be made tomorrow. As regards the speech of my right hon. Friend the Lord President of the Council at the party conference to which I listened, by far the greater part of it was a devastating critique of Tory housing policies. He made one or two references at the end of his speech to the question of Clay Cross and no doubt they will be alluded to in the statement to be made tomorrow.

Mr. Skinner

Is my right hon. Friend aware that the Clay Cross council is far from being composed of thugs? The council introduced free milk for schoolchildren, free television licences for every old-age pensioner in the town and a comprehensive warden scheme for all the old people in the town, the like of which has not been seen in the rest of the country. Will he bear in mind that in February 1973 the previous Secretary of State for the Environment met the other council, Conisbrough, which had been surcharged by another auditor for twice as much as the Clay Cross council had been surcharged and that after a mysterious meeting which took place at Whitehall the surcharge on the Conisbrough council was removed?

Mr. Crosland

I was not aware of the last point made by my hon. Friend.

Mr. Skinner

Check it.

Mr. Crosland

Provided my hon. Friend ceases threatening me, I shall check it. The other, wider issues will no doubt be the matter of some discussion when the Government statement is made tomorrow.

Mrs. Kellett-Bowman

If the right hon. Gentleman will not go to Clay Cross, will he go instead to Ince-in-Makerfield and make close inquiries into the property speculation in which close associates of the Prime Minister are alleged to be involved?

Mr. Crosland

That was a very distasteful supplementary question.

Mr. Frank Allaun

When my right hon. Friend makes his statement tomorrow, will he take into consideration the fact that there have been several important precedents for Parliament passing retrospective legislation to correct injustices?

Mr. Crosland

I am aware of what my hon. Friend says. There is an interesting point in the action taken by the last Government in relation to Merthyr Tydfil. All these matters will be discussed on the Government statement tomorrow.