§ SIR JOHN STIRLING-MAXWELL (Glasgow, College)To ask the Lord Advocate whether he is aware that the observatory on the summit of Ben Nevis is about to be abandoned on account of want of funds; whether any application has been made through the Scottish Office for assistance for the observatory from the public purse; and whether, if such application has been refused, he will state the grounds of the refusal.
(Answered by Mr. Graham Murray.) I have seen the memorandum issued by the directors of the Ben Nevis and Fort William Observatories announcing the imminent discontinuance of these establishments through lack of funds. No application for Government assistance has reached the Scottish Office.