§ Mr. Bruce-Gardyneasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what net increase in the population of Scotland will be required during the current calendar year to fulfil the prediction of 5.3 million contained in paragraph 21 on page 7 of Command Paper No. 2864; and how such an increase will compare with the actual population changes in each of the previous five years.
§ Mr. RossSince the reference to "about 5.3 million" was not a prediction, but an indication of possible order of population size, given certain assumptions, no question of fulfilling it arises. The Government's objective was a reduction in net emigration. Against the rising trend of net emigration which this Government inherited, a reduction took longer to develop than had been hoped, but is now well under way.
§ Mr. Bruce-Gardyneasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress has been made to date towards fulfilment of the prediction of a 13,000 increase in the 312W population of Dundee contained in paragraph 238 of Command Paper No. 2864.
§ Mr. RossThe figure of 13,000 was not a prediction but an estimate, related to the year 1984, made by Dundee Corporation for the purposes of their Development Plan.