asked the Minister of Health whether his attention has been drawn to the local opposition to his Department's assent to an agreement supplemental to a contract entered into by the Harrow Urban District Council on 6th August, 1947, for the purchase of the Edgware Golf Course Estate, Stanmore, for eventual housing purposes; what is the effect of this agreement as regards the conditions as to values of the Town and Country Planning Act, 1947; and whether he will withdraw his assent and institute a public inquiry into the circumstances attending the proposed acquisition of the land in question.

Yes, Sir. I am making inquiries.

When pursuing that inquiry, will the Minister afford an opportunity for the members of the opposition party on the council to consult him about the matter and to put forward their point of view?

I cannot meet any separate section of the council. I can only make inquiries into the corporate activity of the council as a whole. If I started making inquiries into the conduct of sections of councils, my life would become unbearable and that of the local authorities intolerable.