§ 42. Mr. Channonasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he will 96W make a further statement on the composition of the committee set up by the Secretary of State for Scotland and himself to assess the impact of rates on households in different income groups and in different parts of Great Britain.
Mr. CorfiedThe full Committee will be
ChairmanProfessor R. G. D, Allen (Professor of Statistics at the London School of Economics).MembersProfessor E. Grebenik (Professor of Social Studies—University of Leeds).Professor A. T. Peacock (Professor of Economics—University of York).Mr. J. McBoyle (lately County Clerk of Midlothian).Sir Herbert Pollard (lately Treasurer to the City of Hull).Mrs. Barbara Shentield (Lecturer in Department of Sociology and Social Studies, Bedford College, London; Member of the National Old People's Welfare Council).The Secretary of the Committee will be Mr. P. F. Grant of the Department, assisted by Mr. D. W. Wilson of the Scottish Development Department, and letters may be addressed to the Committee at either Office.
My right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Scotland and the Minister of Housing and Local Government would, however, like to emphasise once again that the purpose of the inquiry is purely factual, to assess the impact of rates on households in different income groups and in different parts of the country. The Committee's first task must be to survey the information already available and to decide what more they need and how it may best be obtained. Until that has been done letters may be rather an embarrassment than an assistance in their work.