§ 7. Miss Herbisonasked the President of the Board of Trade what machinery is at his disposal to attract industries to Scotland to use the strip steel produced at Colvilles, Gartcosh.
§ Mr. ErrollThe facilities of the Local Employment Act are available to firms, including those using steel from the strip mill at Gartcosh, with suitable projects which will provide additional employment in the development districts. I have no special powers to give particular assistance to individual steel-using industries.
§ Miss HerbisonIs not the right hon. Gentleman aware that in the area which is of interest to my hon. Friend the Member for Coatbridge and Airdrie (Mr. Dempsey) and myself there is the cold-rolling part of a steel strip mill? Is not he aware that that would be an ideal place in which to site a new industrial estate, where the steel strip would be on the factory doorstep? Will he give further consideration to the siting of this industrial estate which I understand that we are to have?
§ Mr. ErrollI can assure the hon. Lady that I gave serious consideration to this matter. I do not think that it would necessarily follow that the industries most likely to come soonest to North Lanarkshire would be those which have exceptional uses for steel strip. At present there is sufficient steel strip capacity for the main using industries in their present locations.
§ Mr. JayWill the President take a rather more positive action than saying that the facilities are available? Did he not say some months ago that he was interviewing the heads of 600 firms? Has he invited some of them to take advantage of these facilities and come to this needy area?
§ Mr. ErrollWhere appropriate I drew the attention of company chairmen to the facilities available here and elsewhere.