HC Deb 08 December 1975 vol 902 cc39-40W
Mr. Michael Latham

asked the Lord President of the Council whether the proposed Welsh Assembly will be empowered to dismiss, subject to rights of compensation, any members of the Land Authority for Wales appointed by the Secretary of State prior to the establishment of the Assembly.

Mr. Edward Short

The powers which the Community Land Act gives the Secretary of State to dismiss members of the Land Authority for Wales and to compensate former members of the Authority will be transferred to the Welsh Assembly.

Mr. Michael Latham

asked the Lord President of the Council in what way he envisages that the Welsh Assembly will be able to have its own policies on the control of rents, in view of his decision that it will have no legislative authority to amend the Rent Restriction Acts and that local authorities will continue to be responsible for fixing council house rents under the provisions of the Housing, Rents and Subsidies Act 1975.

Mr. Edward Short

It is proposed that the Secretary of State's powers to determine the level of housing subsidy and the way it is distributed among housing authorities will be devolved to the Welsh Assembly. This, combined with its power to settle the allocation to local authorities of rate support from the block grant, will give the Assembly a considerable degree of influence over public sector rents and, indirectly over rents in the private sector, which it will no doubt exercise in accordance with its general policy towards rent levels in Wales.

Mr. Wigley

asked the Lord President of the Council how many seats in a Welsh Assembly he envisages would represent the following constituencies, assuming no boundary changes (a) under the initial proposals for the first election and (b) following reallocation of seats on the population proposals contained in White Paper Command Paper No. 6348: Anglesey, Flint East, Wrexham, Brecon and Radnor, Llanelli, Gower, Neath. Swansea East, Swansea West, Aberavon, Ogmore, Rhondda, Aberdare, Merthyr, Caerphilly, Pontypridd, Cardiff West, Cardiff South East, Newport, Bedwellty, Pontypool, Ebbw Vale and Abertillery.

Mr. Edward Short

For the first election to the Welsh Assembly all parliamentary constituencies will elect two Members. The result of the application of the formula set out in the White Paper for later elections will depend on the Parliamentary constituencies and electorates at the time, but on existing constituency boundaries and current electorates the allocation of seats to the constituencies mentioned by the hon. Member would be as follows:

  1. 1 Assembly constituency:
    • Abertillery.
    • Ebbw Vale.
    • Merthyr Tydfil.
  2. 2 Assembly constituencies:
    • Aberavon.
    • Aberdare.
    • Anglesey.
    • Bedwellty.
    • Brecon and Radnor.
    • Caerphilly.
    • Cardiff South East.
    • Cardiff West.
    • Gower.
    • Llanelli.
    • Neath.
    • Ogmore.
    • Pontypool.
    • Rhondda.
    • Swansea East.
    • Swansea West.
  3. 3 Assembly constituencies:
    • Flint East.
    • Newport.
    • Pontypridd.
    • Wrexham.