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Keith Hill: The hon. Gentleman is properly impatient on behalf of his constituents. A number of the matters that he raises will have to be the subject of further deliberation, discussion and elaboration of policy, in which, I emphasise, South Bedfordshire will play a full role, particularly in relation to part 1 deliberations. I give him that assurance.
On growth, I take the point that the job opportunities identified in the course of my remarks may not be in his precise locality, but he should recognise that the economy is growing and developing intensely, with powerful demographic pressures. Luton, for example, has one of the highest birth rates in the country. That need must obviously be accommodated.
Central to our proposals is putting in place the right local delivery arrangements to reflect local needs and drive development in each of the growth locations. We recently consulted on local delivery proposals for west Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes. In the Luton-Dunstable area, consultants PricewaterhouseCoopers produced a report in December 2003 on the options for the local authorities. A joint proposal to Ministers is expected by Easter. There would then need to be further discussions before any proposal was agreed.
There is now a real opportunity to plan for sustainable growth for Luton-Dunstable, building on the area's economic renaissance. The Government are committed to assist in providing the infrastructure to support growth and enable Luton-Dunstable and the wider Milton Keynes and south midlands sub-region to prosper and play a major role within the national economy.
- Adjourned accordingly at Three o'clock.
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