§ Mr. Blakerasked the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on his recent official visit to the North-West.
§ The Prime Minister:As the House knows, I visited Manchester, Burnley and Liverpool on the 8th and 9th January. During my visit I was privileged to meet, and to discuss national and local problems with, a wide range of representatives of both sides of industry and of local authorities and organisations. Among the bodies with whom, or with members of which, I had discussions in Manchester and Liverpool were the North West Economic Planning Council, the North West Economic Planning Board, the Lancashire and Merseyside Industrial Development Association, the Chambers of Commerce of both Liverpool and Manchester, the Confederation of British Industry and the North West Regional 413W Committee of the Trades Union Congress. In Burnley I met members of North East Lancashire local authorities, the North East Lancashire Development Association and industrialists and trade unionists from the area. In addition, I also toured Mather and Platt's factory in Manchester and Leyland's in Liverpool, and in the course of these visits I met and talked to a number of representatives of both sides of industry.