§ 6. Mr. Douglasasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give details of the number of economic and industrial surveys undertaken by local authorities in Scotland in the period 1965 to date, and the assistance given by his Department to such surveys.
§ Mr. YoungerA comprehensive list of such surveys by local authorities is not available. My right hon. Friend's Department has not given financial assistance for economic and industrial surveys unless they were on a regional scale.
§ Mr. DouglasThat is an interesting reply, but will the hon. Gentleman acknowledge that an interesting survey is likely to be forthcoming from the county of Clackmannan and the University of Stirling? Why has his Department been particularly parsimonious about that useful study, which will look at the possibilities of growth in indigenous industries?
§ Mr. YoungerI fully agree with the hon. Gentleman about the value of the study, and I congratulate Clackmannan shire County Council on its initiative, and the hon. Gentleman, who has been to see me about it. The cost of the study is not unreasonable. The total which is estimated at about £1,400, if met through borrowing, would not amount to more than 0.0lp on the Clackmannan county rates. That is a pretty reasonable price for anyone to pay for such a valuable survey.