§ 7. Dr. BrayTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Motherwell enterprise trust.
§ Mr. RifkindDuring a visit to Lanarkshire on 27 and 28 September I met representatives of the Motherwell enterprise trust on a number of occasions, when there was a useful opportunity to discuss the operation of the trust and its various activities.
§ Dr. BrayIs the Secretary of State aware that his visit was welcome, but he will need to come back soon because he left a lot of unfinished business? Is the right hon. and learned Gentleman aware that the Scottish Development Agency has run down, almost to the point of closure, its Motherwell project office and that many issues in Lanarkshire are too big for local enterprise trusts to handle? Has the right hon. and learned Gentleman checked in particular what the BSC privatisation prospectus will be able to say about the essential contribution that Ravenscraig, Dalzell and Clydesdale will make to industry in Scotland?
§ Mr. RifkindI am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his kind invitation to visit his constituency again. Consideration is being given to a further phase of the Motherwell project. In addition, we have substantially increased the resources available to the Motherwell enterprise trust, from £13,000 last year to £30,000 in 1988–89. The trust has received more than £60,000 from the SDA for specific projects this year in the area of the Motherwell enterprise trust. I have no doubt that Ravenscraig and Dalzell will continue to make an important contribution to the employment and economy of Lanarkshire, and I think that that is the view of both sides of the House.