HC Deb 23 May 1977 vol 932 cc988-90
2. Mr. Wyn Roberts

asked the Secretary of State for Wales if he will now answer Questions relating to the Welsh Development Agency, the Land Authority for Wales and similar bodies.

The Under-Secretary of State for Wales (Mr. Alec Jones)

My right hon. and learned Friend will answer such Questions where they relate to matters of Government policy or the use of his statutory powers. I do not exercise close supervision over the day-to-day administration of the bodies concerned, and I am following long-standing practice in saying that Questions relating to such matters should be addressed to the bodies themselves.

Mr. Roberts

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that the Questions that I put to him about the Land Authority, which he refused to answer, did not deal with day-to-day matters but dealt with the operations of the Land Authority on an annual basis? Are the Government aware that the refusal of the Welsh Office to answer Questions about these bodies and the decision to treat them in the same way as nationalised industries is contrary to the spirit of the assurances we were given when we were dealing with the legislation setting up the bodies? Irrespective of whether the hon. Gentleman intends to answer Questions about these bodies, can he tell us why, when we table Questions that he refuses to answer and that are passed on to the bodies concerned, we have to write to the respective chairmen asking for replies?

Mr. Alec Jones

Perhaps I should make it clear that my hon. Friend the Member for Merthyr Tydfil (Mr. Rowlands), when dealing with this specific point in the Committee proceedings on the Community Land Bill, said: For any action he may take —that is, my right hon. and learned Friend— in the way of a direction, be it specific or general, to the Land Authority he will be answerable to this House, through Question Time and so on."—[Official Report, Standing Committee G, 12th June 1975; c. 992.] My hon. Friend was quite clear and said in that Committee what I have said in my earlier reply, that questions of direction are the sort that will be answered. I draw the attention of the hon. Gentleman to the fact that the first report of the Land Authority was laid before Parliament on 10th March 1977.

Mr. Wigley

Does the Minister not find it anomalous that he and his right hon. and learned Frend are only too willing to make announcements about new advance factories whereas they will not answer Questions about the activities of the Welsh Development Agency? Does he accept that one of the regrettable things is that the Government's political involvement in the detail of decision-making on the location of advance factories is much too great, particularly in view of the fact that the Government do not accept responsibility to hon. Members for such matters in the House?

Mr. Alec Jones

The hon. Gentleman is wrong. Clearly there are certain functions of these bodies which Parliament has made subject to the approval of the Secretary of State. Advance factories and derelict land clearance are such functions. In such cases it is right and proper that the agreement of my right hon. and learned Friend should be sought.

Sir Raymond Gower

Will the Minister bear in mind that these are not private enterprise bodies that are responsive to competition or any competitive element? On the other hand, throughout the passage of the Bill the Minister was at pains to take credit for the fact that these bodies would be highly democratic, in the sense that he would answer for them in the House and be subject to questioning. It now appears that that is not to be so.

Mr. Alec Jones

I think that the hon. Gentleman is completely mistaken. If he looks through the Committee reports, he will see that the Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Merthyr Tydfil (Mr. Rowlands), who took the Bill through Committee on behalf of the Welsh Office, said quite clearly under what conditions my right hon. and learned Friend would be answerable to the House for these questions. We are following the well-established practice of a number of Governments. A similar body is the Highlands and Islands Development Board. Questions on day-to-day matters in respect of that body are not answerable in the House.