§ 23. Mr. WATSONasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has received a protest from the small burghs in the county of Fife with respect to the increased burden the ratepayers of these burghs will have to bear through the expenditure on classified roads in the county being allocated on the basis of the rateable valuation of the landward areas and small burghs; and what steps he proposes to take to relieve these ratepayers of their burdens?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for SCOTLAND (Mr. William Adamson)The answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The method of allocating the expenditure to which my hon. Friend refers is prescribed by Section 21 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act, 1929, and can be altered only by legislation. The ratepayers will be wholly relieved of any consequent loss during 1930–31 and the four following years out of the Supplementary Exchequer Grant or other source in accordance with Section 60 of the Act; and this relief will be continued to a gradually lessening extent during subsequent years. In view of Section 72 of the Act, which provides for an investigation before the expiry of seven years into the rules which regulate inter alia the determination of sums to be allocated to small burghs, any proposals for legislation would be at present premature.
§ Mr. WATSONIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that almost half of the valuation of the county is in the burghs, whereas only a small proportion of the roads are in the burghs; and does he think it is fair that the small burghs should be called upon to bear such a large proportion of the expenditure on the county roads?