HC Deb 18 May 1939 vol 347 cc1639-40W
Mr. Johnston

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he can make any statement regarding the classification of areas in Scotland under the Government evacuation scheme?

Mr. Colville

Yes, Sir. In consultation with the Lord Privy Seal I have reviewed the whole position in the light of the representations which I have received and of the information as to available accommodation disclosed by the survey.

The existing sending areas are Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee, and I have decided to add to them the burgh of Clydebank and the Rosyth area of the burgh of Dunfermline. The town councils of Clydebank and Dunfermline have been informed and the detailed arrangements for these new areas are well advanced.

When local authorities were asked to make the survey of accommodation certain areas were excluded on the ground that they were unsuitable for reception. Those areas comprised the counties of Orkney and Zetland, together with the Island Districts of the counties of Ross and Cromarty, Inverness and Argyll; the burghs of Aberdeen, Airdrie, Bo'ness, Buckhaven and Methil, Burntisland, Clydebank, Coatbridge, Cromarty, Dumbarton, Dunfermline, Falkirk, Gourock, Grangemouth, Greenock, Hamilton, Invergordon, Inverkeithing, Irvine, Johnstone, Kinghorn, Kirkcaldy, Motherwell and Wishaw, Musselburgh, Paisley, Port Glasgow, Queensferry, Renfrew and Rutherglen; and certain landward areas in north Ayrshire, in those parts of the counties of Dunbarton, Lanark and Renfrew which are near to Glasgow and in those parts of the counties of Fife, Stirling and West Lothian which border on the Forth. After further consideration of the position I have decided that the following areas the local authorities of which were asked to carry out the survey of accommodation should not be required under present conditions to act as receiving areas; the burghs of Ardrossan, Barrhead, Cowden beath, Culross, Kilwinning, Leven, Linlithgow, Milngavie and Saltcoats together with the landward districts of Bearsden in the county of Dumbarton, Bishopbriggs in the county of Lanark, the parish of Cathcart and the northern part of the parish of Eastwood in the county of Renfrew, and the villages of Throsk and Fallin in the county of Stirling.

I also propose, in view of their relative inaccessibility, to hold in reserve for the present the receiving areas in the counties of Caithness, Sutherland, Ross and Cromarty, and in the north western portion of the county of Inverness.

The remaining areas in Scotland will be receiving areas.

I should like to take the opportunity of expressing the thanks of His Majesty's Government to all those who, both in sending and receiving areas, are co-operating so admirably in the working out of the evacuation scheme.