§ 74. Mr. Cockeramasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will examine the effects of the changes outlined in Circular 2/70, Capital Programmes, upon the derelict land clearance programme; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Peter WalkerNo. As I told the House during the Adjournment debate on 21st January, I have arranged for talks to be held with authorities in priority areas whose reclamation programmes in 1971–72 may be affected by the operation of the circular.
§ 84. Mr. Kinseyasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he will launch a publicity campaign for the clearance of derelict land on the same lines as his Department's house improvement publicity campaign.
§ Mr. Peter WalkerI am grateful to my hon. Friend for his suggestion. The very successful campaign for house improvement is aimed primarily at private owners, while systematic reclamation of derelict land is carried out mainly by local authorities. I am therefore arranging to visit the six counties with the greatest problems of derelict land in order to urge local authorities to set more ambitious targets for clearance.