HC Deb 09 December 1964 vol 703 cc1531-2
13. Mr. Russell Johnston

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will take steps to assist the county council of Inverness to provide the necessary educational facilities for the incoming population anticipated as a result of the pulp mill, without detracting from their programme in other parts of the county.

Mrs. Hart

This assistance is already being given.

The last of the projects required by the pulp mill development should be started by the end of the financial year. The investment allocations take account of these additional needs.

Mr. Johnston

But is not the hon. Lady aware that what in fact happens is that money which would otherwise be spent in other parts of the county has to be channelled to meet the problems of the pulp mill? Does not this detract to some degree from the regional development benefit which one gets from such a scheme?

Mrs. Hart

I appreciate the point made by the hon. Gentleman, but less than half the value of the work in the Fort William area is directly attributable to the pulp mill. The rest was in the normal course of the school building programme. The allocation ahead took full account of the authority's need to provide new places and to make reasonable progress with modernisation and replacement in the rest of the area.