HL Deb 24 October 1972 vol 335 cc2045-6

2.41 p.m.

THE EARL OF LAUDERDALE

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the second Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what sub-regional, or micro-regional, land use studies they will commission to ascertain the optimum population in areas of industrial or tourist development in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland as a preliminary to authorising comprehensive development of amenities to meet the needs of incoming population.

THE MINISTER OF STATE, SCOTTISH OFFICE (LORD POLWARTH)

My Lords, land use studies of this kind are primarily for the local planning authorities to undertake. In conjunction with the Scottish Development Department and the Highlands and Islands Development Board, these authorities are already studying questions such as the implications for land use of North Sea oil, the special planning problems of sparsely populated areas and the balanced development of areas that are likely to expand; and the outcome of these studies will no doubt be reflected in their development plans. My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Scotland will continue to help these authorities both in this work and, so far as he has powers, in developing amenities to meet the needs of incoming population.

THE EARL OF LAUDERDALE

My Lords, in thanking my noble friend for that very full and, so far as it goes, interesting reply, may I ask him whether he is aware that population or economic pressures at the present time on the Moray Firth, the Cromarty Firth and in the Shetlands, and before very long quite possibly in Caithness, North-West Sutherland and the Outer Isles, make these studies urgent; and could he be a little more forthcoming and tell us where these studies have been put in hand?

LORD POLWARTH

My Lords, I can give the noble Lord one or two examples. One study, commissioned by the Highlands and Islands Development Board through St. Andrew's University, is on "viable settlement sizes in the Highlands"—I apologise for the terminology. I understand that that study has been completed and has already been submitted to the Board. Another, commissioned by the Scottish Development Department, is described as being (again I apologise for the terminology) on: the methodology for and content of a structure plan for a sparsely populated area. For this, no publication date is yet available. There is yet another study, commissioned by the Highlands and Islands Development Board through Aberdeen University, on the land use implications of oil exploration and extraction and their effect on housing needs, amenities, and so forth, which will very shortly be submitted to the Highlands and Islands Development Board.

THE EARL OF LAUDERDALE

My Lords, since these examples, which are interesting enough, are of a very general nature, can my noble friend say whether the Government will press the authorities concerned to push on with studies in the areas of present pressure and likely future pressure so that there may be proper advanced thinking on the infrastructure—and may I apologise for that piece of jargon?—that may well be needed?

LORD POLWARTH

My Lords, I think that the noble Earl can rest assured that we are giving every encouragement to the planning authorities to press on in this direction, and they are responding very well to the challenge of the North Sea oil developments in this respect.