§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if it is the policy of sports councils to encourage multi-sports clubs so that facilities are economically used to the maximum; if they give additional support to clubs which engage in multi-sport activities; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. William RossIt is the policy of the Scottish Sports Council to encourage multi-sports clubs. The number of sports for which a club proposes to use its facilities is one of the factors the council takes into acount when considering applications for assistance under its scheme of capital grants to local voluntary sports bodies.
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§ Mr. Carter-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give an estimate of the upper, lower and average cost of providing an association football, rugby union and a hockey pitch by local authorities; if an estimate can also be made of the cost of providing a pitch and shower-bath facilities; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. William RossThe costs vary considerably and depend to a large extent on local circumstances. I understand from the Scottish Sports Council that basic construction costs of pitches in Scotland are of the following order:
Association Football pitches £3,000-£3,500 Rugby Union pitches £4,000-£6,000 Men's Hockey pitches £1,700-£3,200 In addition, the cost of providing a building with shower facilities is about £15 a square foot.
The foregoing figures do not include the cost of land and may be substantially affected by such factors as type of soil, location and, for buildings, access to water and electricity.