§ Q10. Mr. William Hamiltonasked the Prime Minister if, in his next visit to Scotland, he will arrange to explain the benefits accruing to the country consequent on the new Governmental policies.
§ The Prime MinisterYes. We found the unemployment figure for Scotland at 93,000 last July, at the height of summer and on an upward trend. The Government took immediate steps to strengthen the incentives for industrial expansion including provision for the service industries. The Secretary of State for Scotland arranged that wherever possible essential works would be accelerated to provide additional jobs during the winter. A large Special Development Area has been created in West Central Scotland, and Edinburgh has been made an intermediate area; there is now no part of Scotland in which industrial development is not assisted.
The benefits of the Government's policy to Scottish Agriculture are made clear in the Price Review White Paper.
396WOur new housing policies will redirect help to families and authorities who need it most; and the reform of local government will lead to better, and better co-ordinated, local services.