HC Deb 09 December 1987 vol 124 cc419-20
1. Mr. Steen

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will take powers to establish urban development corporations in areas of dereliction in major conurbations in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

The Minister of State, Scottish Office (Mr. Ian Lang)

The powers to establish urban development corporations contained in the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980 apply equally in Scotland.

Mr Steen

The fact that one represents a constituency a few miles south does not mean that one has not had the opportunity—

Mr. Foulkes

Get on with it.

Mr. Steen

—to appreciate the excellent work done in some of the Scottish urban areas, particularly in Glasgow—

Mr. Foulkes

Ask a question.

Mr. Speaker

Order. I hope that we shall be able to conduct this Question Time in good humour and in good order.

Mr. Steen

I have not started to ask my question. I said that the fact that one represented a constituency a few miles south did not mean that one could not appreciate the wonders of Scottish urban redevelopment. Does my hon. Friend agree that one of the most important things in urban regeneration is to encourage vacant public land to be privatised and to get some of the dead land moving in private enterprise?

Mr. Lang

I was most interested in what my hon. Friend had to say, given his well-known expertise in this subject. I entirely agree with him. We believe that the private sector has a very important role to play in the initiatives that we are proposing in urban areas in Scotland.

Mrs. Fyfe

Has the Minister considered the fact that Strathclyde regional council and Glasgow district council are doing their desperate best to help decaying urban areas such as my constituency? If the private sector is dying to invest in Maryhill, where is that money? Why do we not see some of it?

Mr. Lang

I hope that in due course, as we bring forward our proposals, the private sector will become increasingly interested in them. We certainly look forward to working with Strathclyde regional council and Glasgow district council in pursuing this worthwhile initiative.

Back to