§ Mr. Murphyasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will introduce legislation to permit the Parliamentary Commissioner to investigate complaints against the Commission for the New Towns.
§ Sir George YoungIn the light of recommendations made by the Commission for Local Administration, my right hon. Friend is considering which of the functions of the Commission for the New Towns might appropriately be brought within its jurisdiction. However, we have not entirely ruled out the possibility of bringing certain functions within the jurisdiction of the Parliamentary Commissioner, especially if any recommendations to that effect were to emerge in the near future from the Select Committee's current inquiries into non-departmental public bodies. We accept that in either case legislation would be worth while only if the Commission for the New Towns had a significant lifespan remaining at the time a decision was taken.