§ LORD KILMANYMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
[The Question was as follows:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have formulated for increased assistance to historic buildings in Scotland.]
§ THE MINISTER OF STATE, SCOTTISH OFFICE (BARONESS TWEEDSMUIR OF BELHELVIE)My Lords, for the remaining two years of the current programme the allocation of funds to the Historic Buildings Council for Scotland has been increased from £110,000 to £150,000 a year.
§ LORD KILMANYMy Lords, while thanking my noble friend for that reply, which sounds encouraging, may I ask whether she can give an assurance that this represents a substantial increase in grant, as opposed to merely keeping pace with rising costs?
§ BARONESS TWEEDSMUIR OF BELHELVIEYes, my Lords, because for the last three-year period before this one the grant was £220,000 altogether, and for this three-year period it is £410,000.
§ LORD BALERNOMy Lords, may I ask the Minister whether the Government have yet decided to extend the powers of the Historic Buildings Council in Scotland so as to include churches of architectural and historic interest?
§ BARONESS TWEEDSMUIR OF BELHELVIEMy Lords, we have had very extensive consultations with the Church of Scotland trustees and we hope to make an announcement in due course. As no doubt the noble Lord knows, historic 316 churches which are not in use as churches already receive grants.
§ LORD SLATERMy Lords, could the Minister state how the figure for Scotland compares with the rest of the United Kingdom in regard to grant aid to these historic buildings?
§ BARONESS TWEEDSMUIR OF BELHELVIEMy Lords, although, strictly speaking, that is another question, I cannot deny the noble Lord, Lord Slater, and the latest figures were from £700,000 to £1 million in England.
§ LORD BALERNOMy Lords, may I ask my noble friend whether she is aware that the position of the historic churches in Scotland is substantially different from that of the historic churches in England and that the two are somewhat disparate problems?
§ BARONESS TWEEDSMUIR OF BELHELVIEMy Lords, I had the advantage of reading the debate, in which the noble Lord made a very interesting contribution, but I understand that it has been the policy of successive Governments not to give grants to historic churches in active use because they are not subject to the same planning controls as are ancient and historic buildings.