§ Mr. William Hamiltonasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to increase public and private investment in Scotland; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness to date of these policies.
§ Mr. HigginsThe Government's policies for strengthening the national economy aim to re-establish conditions within which firms can plan for rising investment in the United Kingdom as a whole, including Scotland. In the field of regional policy, we have reformed and extended the incentives available to new and expanding industry and are ensuring that regional development needs are reflected within the various public expenditure programmes. Such polocies take time to show their effects, and it is much too soon to assess their progress.