§ Mr. Roy Hughesasked the Secretary of State for Local Government and Regional Planning what progress has been made on his studies of the economic and industrial aspects of the M.I.D.A. concept with particular reference to the flats east and west of Newport, Monmouthshire.
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§ Mr. CroslandThe Government have received a report commissioned by the National Ports Council from Professor Maurice Peston on the methods of evaluating industrial demand for, and the costs and benefits of, M.I.D.A. development. This report, which makes certain proposals as to the most useful method of carrying out further studies of the economic case for M.I.D.A.s and their likely industrial implications, is still being considered. Whatever the pattern of further studies, the evaluation of the comparative merits of different possible sites would be unlikely to be the first stage.