HC Deb 05 February 1969 vol 777 cc393-4
23. Mr. Buchanan-Smith

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is satisfied on the extent to which small burghs were consulted by regional water boards before transitional financial arrangements were approved by him; and if he will make a statement.

Dr. Dickson Mabon

The orders providing for transitional financial arrangements were made as a result of consultations between the Government and the local authorities concerned.

Mr. Buchanan-Smith

While the hon. Gentleman may be satisfied about the legalistic formalities under which consultations took place, will he not recognise that some local authorities in my constituency, such as Laurencekirk and Stonehaven councils, feel that his assurances about reasonable transitional arrangements were not fulfilled? Does he regard as reasonable a five-fold increase in water rates as a result of regionalisation?

Dr. Mabon

I do not want to go into the views of those two local authorities. Every authority was consulted statutorily and, before the circulation of draft water orders, the Department held regional meetings to which every single constituent authority was invited. In addition, the authorities set up their own steering committees to consider various aspects of water regionalisation. My only comment on Laurencekirk is that perhaps its rate is inflated by the fact that it is not charging to the general rate as much of its water requisition as it is entitled to do, thus reducing expenditure reckonable for the rate support grant.

Mr. MacArthur

Will the hon. Gentleman not recognise that adequate transitional arrangements were not made in the case of the small burghs? Will he not agree that the recent position has justified fully the fears that we expressed during our debates on the Water Bill about the impact that it would have on water rates in the small burghs in Scotland?

Dr. Mabon

The hon. Gentleman is guilty of a tremendously sweeping statement. There were 199 authorities involved. Because something like half a dozen are protesting about this, to say that that means that we have betrayed the small burghs is a piece of hyperbole.

Mr. Buchanan-Smith

Mr. Speaker, in view of the unsatisfactory nature of that Answer, I beg to give notice that I shall seek to raise the matter on the Adjournment at the earliest opportunity.