§ Mr. ParryTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the recent visit of the Minister for Inner Cities to Liverpool.
§ Mr. PortilloMy most recent visit to Merseyside was on 10 December 1990. On that day I visited Widnes where I met the leader of Halton borough council at the chemical museum, followed by a tour of derelict land sites and the town centre Victoria square refurbishment. In Birkenhead I performed a ground-breaking ceremony to mark the commencement of an office development at the Pier hotel. During a river crossing from Birkenhead to Liverpool I was appraised of the revitalisation of the Mersey ferries by Merseytravel, and in Liverpool I received a presentation by the Mersey Barrage Company on its proposals.