§ 26. Mr. Adam Hunterasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many houses have been built in Inverkeithing under the Glasgow overspill agreement; and what are the plans to increase the number of houses under this agreement.
§ Mr. RossTwo hundred by Inverkeithing Town Council under the overspill agreement, and 200 by the Scottish Special Housing Association. No proposals for a further overspill agreement have been made to me.
§ Mr. HunterWould the Secretary of State not agree that the reason why this arrangement between the two local authorities has not been more successful is the failure to attract industry to Inverkeithing. Will not he take steps to remedy the position?
§ Mr. RossWe will do all we can in respect of this matter. There is available a pool of houses. They are not lying empty; they have been occupied. But we can build on to that for general use and for industrial purposes. There is a tendency to overestimate how much one can get from an overspill agreement and the extent to which it can be fitted in. It is a difficult task and tends to be more difficult to operate the greater the distance the receiving authority is from Glasgow. We will continue with our efforts to get the industry, and we trust that people will follow from Glasgow.