§ 13. Mr. Trippierasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress is being made with operation Groundwork.
§ Mr. KingThe Countryside Commission tells me that good progress is being made in each of the five new areas selected towards establishing Groundwork trusts and agreeing early action programmes.
§ Mr. TrippierI thank my right hon. Friend for implementing operation Groundwork in my constituency. It will certainly improve the environment and create more jobs. Does he intend to extend the system nationally?
§ Mr. KingWe have allocated funds to extend the original project from St. Helens to five other areas, including that of my hon. Friend. I am grateful for the interest that my hon. Friend has shown in this very imaginative programme. As it is fairly demanding of resources, I should like to see how these developments progress and then review the matter further.