§ Mr. Michael Lathamasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) to whom written submissions by outside 513W bodies for the attention of his Departmental Working Party on Direct Labour should be addressed; and by what date they should be sent;
(2) whether his departmental inquiry into direct labour departments will take oral evidence from outside bodies; and to whom application to give such evidence should be addressed;
(3) by what date he expects his depart mental inquiry into direct labour to complete its work; and whether its report will be published;
(4) whether any persons outside the Civil Service will be represented on his departmental working party on local authority direct labour departments; and, if so, whether he will list them.
§ Mr. FreesonThe working party, when it is set up, will consider what arrangements are appropriate for receiving written submissions and for taking oral evidence, and details of these arrangements will be published. It is too early to say when the working party will complete its report. I shall decide when I receive the working party's report whether it should be published. The non-departmental bodies which will be represented on the working party are the Association of County Councils, the Association of Metropolitan Authorities and the Association of District Councils.
§ Mr. Michael Lathamasked the Secretary of State for the Environment on what specific date his Department received a copy of the CIPFA Report entitled Direct Works Undertakings Accounting; and why he permitted several months after receipt of the report to pass before setting up a departmental inquiry into this matter.
§ Mr. FreesonThe future development of DLO's was being considered some time before receipt of the report of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy on "Direct Works Undertakings—Accounting" in July 1975.