§ 28. Miss Herbisonasked the President of the Board of Trade what further action he proposes to take to bring new industry to the Shotts area, since its position has been seriously worsened by the proposed closure of its one remaining colliery.
§ Mr. J. RodgersMy right hon. Friend hopes that the Shotts area will benefit considerably from the substantial developments taking place at Bathgate and Newhouse, but we shall continue to try to bring further industry to Shotts itself.
§ Miss HerbisonIs the Minister aware that, though he mentions two other areas in Scotland, there is not a single area in Scotland that has been as badly hit as this—Shotts, Newmains and Harthill—and that this last pit closure has brought great dismay to the area. Is he content to leave a once thriving area in this position in the future?
§ Mr. RodgersNo. We are very well aware of the problems in Shotts, as I have discussed with the hon. Lady on many occasions, and we shall try to direct new industry to it. Bathgate is within travel-too work distance of Shorts. B.M.C. hope to employ there 5,600 when fully in production. Newhouse, where Honeywell Controls have, on 24th October, announced the establishment of a large new factory to employ 800–1,000 people, is also within daily travelling distance.
§ Miss HerbisonBut surely the whole of that reply points to the fact that the Minister is quite content to leave this as a dormitory area if he wants to bring new industry. He and the President of the Board of Trade have already said that it is ideally situated for an ancillary industry and one way to ensure that is to have an advance factory in the area.
§ Mr. RodgersAs the hon. Lady knows, under consideration.