§ LORD STRACHIEMy Lords, I desire to ask a Question, of which I have given private notice to the noble Earl, the Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Health. I wish to know whether he intends to proceed with the Wolverhampton Extension Bill on June 29 if no agreement is arrived at before then between the parties concerned; and, further, if no agreement is arrived at by that date, whether he will undertake to withdraw the Provisional Order Bill for such extension.
THE PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY OF THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH (THE EARL OF ONSLOW)My Lords, I am glad that my noble friend has given me an opportunity of stating what has occurred. The Wolverhampton Town Council were informed in May that in view of the action taken by Parliament in similar cases the Government had come to the conclusion that they would not be warranted in proceeding with the Second Reading of the Bill unless an agreement was reached between the Town Council and the opposing authorities. A further letter was written by the Ministry to the Town Clerk of Wolverhampton just after Whitsuntide stating that if, by June 27, an agreement had not been reached, or hopeful negotiations with the opposing authorities were not then in hand, the Bill would be withdrawn. It is not the intention to proceed with the Second Reading of the Bill unless an agreement has been reached between the parties concerned, and if an agreement is not reached the Bill will be withdrawn.