§ Mr. G. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what changes he proposes to make in the constitution of the Advisory Council for Wales, following his recent rejection of their advice;
(2) whether he will publish the correspondence he has had with the Advisory Council for Wales concerning their public charge that he treated them with discourtesy;
(3) if he will state the number of occasions, prior to December, 1953, on which he consulted with the Advisory Council for Wales concerning their proposals for preventing the drift from rural Wales; and what proposals he has for regular consultation in the future.
§ Sir D. Maxwell FyfeAs I indicated in my speech in the debate on 8th December, the Government have derived great assistance from the Second Memorandum of the Council for Wales and Monmouthshire, which included the Report of the Rural Development Panel. Although it would not have been proper for me to discuss the Council's proposals with them before they were considered by the House, I have since then had a useful discussion with representatives of the Council, and I am always ready to hear their views on any matter which they wish to discuss with me. The fact that proposals made by the Council have not been accepted in their entirety by the Government affords in itself no reason for making changes in the constitution of the Council, and I do not propose to publish correspondence between the Council and myself.