and what steps does he intend to take to prevent an educational Crisis in London two years hence.

I say to the builders, and hon. Members opposite who reflect the opinion of builders, that if they feel that a council house building programme of 250,000 houses a year is in danger of removing their clients then, heaven knows, they under-estimate the Crisis in London, Sheffield or Manchester, and it is a mean thing to hold a programme down for fear of clients being taken away.

May I first ask about the Crisis in London, which I think wecan describe in those terms without overstating the situation.

I turn now to the London Crisis, the figures for which have been quoted many times in the House.

I do not complain of the editorial in the Daily Mirror this morning, which, in welcoming that debate and drawing attention to the Crisis in London's public services, asks: what about the other big cities?

We must also stop panicking ourselves and agree among ourselves that the real Crisis in London at the moment is that the Labour Party in the GLC need a crisis and will make one.

Explaining his resignation, Dr. Haseler said:There is mounting financial Crisis in London and although the leadership understand it their reaction has been too slow and too late.

If one goes into the Library now and reads the London evening papers, one sees that, despite the late-night efforts of the Secretary of State for Social Services, for which we are all grateful, there is still a real and threatening Crisis in London.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he has received a copy of the report from Age Concern "Services for Old Age: A Growing Crisis in London"; and whether he will make a statement on the response which Her Majesty's Government will make to the report.

I shall quote from an excellent research publication, produced by Age Concern, called "Services for old age: A growing Crisis in London", by Tom Snow.

Is the Minister aware of the near-Crisis in London in the provision of hostel and housing accommodation for the single homeless?

I want to raise the looming Crisis in London's hostels.

Is the Leader of the House aware that there is a serious Crisis in London, where, because prisons are overcrowded, prisoners held on remand in custody are accommodated in police or court cells?

The way to deal with the Crisis in London is to demand the resources that London needs to deal with it, which the Government have denied it, and not to join the chorus of opposition to the GLC.

To speak of a Crisis in London's public transport is to turn the English language on its head.

This debate on the Crisis in London's Health Service comes at an important time.

In social services there is exactly the same Crisis in London, with 600 suspected victims of child abuse not getting professional help because there are no social workers to help them.

The debate arises from the Crisis in London's transport system.

What is the Secretary of State going to do about the current national shortfall of social workers and especially about the Crisis in London, where there are real problems in the recruitment and retention of social workers, because unless those central issues are addressed, all else is rhetoric?

I accept everything that my hon. Friend is saying about the Crisis in London.

We want to see libraries well stocked, schools well provided for, housing estates properly maintained and, above all, houses built so that the social Crisis in London can be tackled by proper allocation of resources.

Special action is also needed to meet the Crisis in London.

He knows that, welcome though that increase is, it does not solve the continuing Crisis of London's most important mass transit system, or set it on a secure financial footing for the future.

I know that that word is overused in politics, but it is true that homelessness is a Crisis in London and elsewhere, as evidenced by the number of people who are sleeping rough on the streets.

The Crisis in London's health service is a product of policies supported by the whole Cabinet.

That Bill offered the Government the opportunity to set up a strategic health authority for London, which would have gone a great way to help to resolve the Crisis in London's health care.

That, too, poses a potential Crisis in London.

As regards recruitment, can the Minister comment on recent reports of a Crisis in London, which, again, has already been mentioned?

Can the right hon. Gentleman assure us that we shall have extra nurses this winter, so that we do not experience the same Crisis in London that we experienced last year?

A wide range of reasons exist, but there is a serious Crisis in London.

Our contingency plans for dealing with a Crisis in London are well developed because of the preparations and precautions that we put in hand in response to the major public safety concerns surrounding the millennium; for example, in relation to the "bug", the central-London celebrations, and the fears of terrorist activity.

While we should be concerned about any increase, particularly about families with young children who are forced into bed and breakfast, 10 years ago the Crisis in London was very much worse.

It cannot have escaped your notice, Mrs. Dean, that the majority of Labour Members participating in this debate represent London constituencies; that is because of the nature of the housing Crisis in London which my Friendthe Member for Regent's Park and Kensington, North (Ms Buck) outlined very well indeed.

None the less, I hope that the Minister will consider some of my specific concerns, which are not just about money, although the hon. Member for Leyton and Wanstead got it right when he said that we face a financial Crisis in London in relation to maternity care.

It is testament to the Crisis in London that several London MPs are here.

My colleagues and I are saying that the Crisis in London is a crisis not only for the homeless and for those who are having to rent for longer and later in life than they might otherwise have done, but for perfectly well housed people who are worrying about whether their children will ever be able to afford a house within the M25.

The London Crisis operation centre moved into operation mode and worked on a 24/7 basis from26 June until1 July and the FCO remained in crisis mode to assist with the departure of tourists.

My hon. Friend knows that there is an A&E Crisis in London.

In other words, we have an absolute Crisis in London.

The Minister needs to work with other Departments to ensure that the pressures that brought about this Crisis in London are resolved, for the sake of our city's health and for the many people who depend upon a decent affordable home.