HC Deb 06 August 1975 vol 897 cc523-6
Mr. Canavan

I beg to ask leave to move the Adjournment of the House, under Standing Order No. 9, for the purpose of discussing an issue which is causing widespread and growing concern throughout the whole of Scotland and my constituency in particular, namely, the use of public money to provide low-interest rate loans to high-salaried local government executives.

co-operation between Government, local authorities and BSC. A determined effort will be made to attract new industry to this site in conjunction with land reclamation and the development of new factories by the Scottish Development Agency once it is established.

Last week it was reported that a meeting of the Policy and Resources Committee of the Central Regional Council decided, by the casting vote of the convener, to go ahead with its offer of loans to certain top officials at an interest rate of 5½ per cent., about half the current mortgage rate. It was also reported that advice was given to the committee that is was legally obliged to give the loans. There has also been speculation as to whether the council's professional advisers stood to gain by the acceptance of their advice.

The Chief Executive of the Central Region, Mr. Eric Geddes, is to receive a loan of £30,000 to purchase a mansion house in Dunblane. Yet Mr. Geddes is reported to be receiving £30,000 for the sale of his present house in Edinburgh, and he also owns a 200-acre farm in Dumfriesshire.

It is also disturbing that last week it was decided to ban the Press from the Central Regional Council sub-committee meetings in the very week when newspapers, such as the Daily Record and the Scottish Daily News, had done a great public service by bringing this whole business to light.

Standing Order No. 9 states that the matter to be discussed must be specific and important enough to merit urgent consideration. I have done my best to be specific. The importance of the matter can perhaps best be judged not only in the principles at stake but in the fact that nearly one-quarter of a million pounds of public money is initially and immediately involved in one local authority area alone. Many of my constituents have communicated their concern to me. Only last weekend I addressed a meeting of irate ratepayers in Denny who are facing a rate increase of over 100 per cent. The whole affair is in danger of bringing local government and possibly central Government into disrepute unless something is done immediately.

Only yesterday a Central Regional councillor, Mr. Sam Ovens, acting in his capacity as a private ratepayer, publicly announced that he intends to apply for an interdict to stop further loans. Why should it be left merely to one individual to take action?

Unfortunately many Scottish local authorities are in recess during August, and we go into recess tomorrow. Before we do so, I submit that this specific and important matter should be discussed by Parliament. The use of Standing Order No. 9 appears to be the only way of achieving this objective. People in Scotland and other parts of the United Kingdom are demanding immediate action to stop this lunatic squandering of public money.

Mr. Speaker

The hon. Gentleman gave me notice that he intended to seek leave to make this application. I have listened to him carefully. He has put forward an important matter. I think that he was rather an optimist to think that I would grant his application today. I have limited opportunities at the moment because of the business already fixed for today and tomorrow. I am afraid that the answer must be "No".