Latch operating mechanism

A latch operating mechanism comprising a body part for mounting on the frame of an openable glazed panel, a rotary handle mounted on the body part by a spindle, a rack member slidably mounted with respect to the body part and driven by a gear within the body part which gear is operably connected to said handle, the rack member having a part projecting from said body part for insertion through an opening in the aforesaid frame and adapted to engage a part of an espanulette mounted therein, the body part having primary attachment locations by which it is adapted to be secured to said frame, said rack member being mounted for movement in a slot provided in said body part characterised in that at least one primary attachment location is provided adjacent each end of said slot, in that said gear is contained within a central portion of the body which projects outwardly beyond one side of a part of the body which includes said slot and in that a notional plane passing through said primary attachment locations is spaced from a substantially parallel notional plane containing the axis of said spindle, said notional plane which passes through said primary attachment locations containing at least that portion of the projecting part of the rack member which is adjacent but external of the body part.