§ 26. Mr. W. Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how much has already been spent by local authorities on the clearance of derelict sites within the terms laid down by the Local Employment Act; and what evidence there is of increasing use of these terms.
§ Mr. LeburnI regret I cannot state precisely the amounts spent until local authorities submit their claims for grant, but the total estimated cost of the 15 approved schemes is £250,000, of which I estimate about £70,000 has been spent to date. As the hon. Member is aware, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of 436 the Exchequer is considering whether the rate of grant should be raised in order to facilitate projects of this kind.
§ Mr. HamiltonWe were aware of that, but we are rather sick and tired of waiting for decisions on these matters. Is the hon. Gentleman aware that there are hundreds of acres, particularly in the industrial belt of Scotland, which are derelict and which could be tackled immediately if we got some urgent decisions by the Government instead of their dilly-dallying in the way they have continually done over the last several months?
§ Mr. LeburnI am well aware that there is room for improvement here, but I regret that I cannot make any further statement today.