§ Mr.Skeetasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will set out the forms of local government existing in each of the major cities of the member states of the European Communities which were examined in connection with the preparation of the answer of 12 April by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary, the hon. Member for Bristol, West (Mr. Waldegrave) to the hon. Member for Bedfordshire, North.
§ Mr.WaldegraveNo comprehensive information is held on the forms of local government in major cities of the member states of the European Communities. However, my hon. Friend may find it helpful to study the information contained in "The Government and Administration of Metropolitan Areas in Western Democracies", by Alan Norton, published by the Institute of Local Government Studies at the University of Birmingham, which showed a wide variety of forms of local government in the areas studied.