HC Deb 07 April 1971 vol 815 cc444-5
39. Mr. Ross

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received from local authorities in Ayrshire regarding exclusion of parts of Ayrshire from the special development area for West Central Scotland; and what reply he has sent.

Mr. Gordon Campbell

I have received letters on this subject from the town councils of Kilmarnock and Galston. The replies have explained that the unemployment and other problems of the areas designated are significantly greater than those elsewhere in West Central Scotland.

Mr. Ross

Will the right hon. Gentleman look at the Questions which I have been asking the Department of Employment, the last one being on 25th March? He will discover that in the exchange areas of Kilmarnock, Ayr and Cumnock the unemployment figure is between 4,000 and 5.000 and is still rising, and that it is higher than in the contiguous areas of Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire and Ayrshire which are included in the special development area. It is nonsensical to leave out the industrial centre of Ayrshire, which employs many people from a wide surrounding area. Will the right hon. Gentleman have another look at this matter?

Mr. Campbell

The boundary of the special development area was drawn with considerable care. The S.D.A. is very large and includes the areas of the Glasgow conurbation which are most in need of jobs. I hope that the right hon. Gentleman is not being critical of one of the most far-reaching and speedy measures of regionial development in Scotland for many years.

Mr. Ross

There is a male unemployment rate of over 8 per cent. in the Ayr employment exchange area, which is in the constituency of the hon. Member for Ayr (Mr. Younger).