§ Dr. Edmund Marshallasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he intends to specify a date, after which any orders made by him for new electoral arrangements for county councils will not be operative, for the county council elections in May 1981.
§ Mr. WhitelawI do not intend to fix such a "cut-off" date at this stage as I am anxious to permit as many counties as possible to hold the elections of May 1981 on the basis of new arrangements. If, however, by 15 January it appears that I shall not be able to make an order by 6 February for a county for which the commission has submitted its proposals to me, I shall discuss with the council concerned when its new arrangements should come into effect.