§ Mr. Tony Banksasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what information is available to him concerning the forms of metropolitan local government which exist in the capital cities of states which are members of the European Economic Community; which of these cities possess a directly-elected city-wide authority; and whether such information was taken into account by his Department when framing the proposals set out in the White Paper, "Streamlining the Cities." Cmnd. 9063.
§ Mr. WaldegraveA variety of information on local government in the member states of the European Communities is available. One or more tiers of directly or indirectly elected authority exist in all capital cities; they have varied responsibilities, and it must be a matter of judgment which of these are city-wide. We are always ready to take into account relevant experience of our EC partners, but our aim is to establish a local government structure appropriate to the needs of London and the metropolitan areas.