Mr. R. Gresham Cooke:

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government whether it is his intention to issue a circular recommending higher density of population in Inner London.

No, Sir. Any development proposed at a density higher than in the development plan must continue to be looked at on its individual merits.

Will my hon. Friend resist any temptation or pressure to try to squeeze a quart into a pint pot, and will he, therefore, encourage the dispersal of population to the new towns outside London, as this would make the biggest possible contribution to solving the housing problem in London?

I do not know about putting a quart into a pint pot, but it is a fact that the local authority programmes in London, which we have announced, can be achieved within the broad policy of the county development plan. We look at each case on its merits.