§ Lord Sefton of Garstonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will give an assurance that well before a decision is announced on any reorganisation of regional affairs of the DHSS they will consult the local authorities concerned.
§ Lord EltonIn the vast majority of instances the only point of contact used by local authorities on social security matters is the appropriate local office of the department and these arrangements will not be affected in any way by the reorganisation of the social security regional structure which is now in progress. For the larger authorities which have occasional contacts at regional level, the only change of any significance that may occur is that the department's business could be conducted from a different location, but they will certainly be consulted in advance about any problems that seem likely to arise.
House adjourned at twenty-nine minutes before nine o'clock.
Correction
In col. 566 of last Thursday's Daily Part, the question asked by the Lord Morris should read: "… is my noble friend aware how much a great parliamentary performance is appreciated by noble Lords at least on this side of the House?"