§ Mr. Douglasasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the Government's policy in relation to inner urban areas in Scotland.
§ Mr. RifkindThe Government recognise that many inner urban areas suffer 575W particularly from industrial decline, environmental dereliction, and social deprivation. We have continued our support for the Glasgow eastern area renewal (GEAR) project, and have maintaned for 1980–81 the real value of the urban programme, most of which goes to inner urban areas, and to the Clydeside conurbation in particular.
§ Mr. Douglasasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in the
Designated district Home population mid 1979* Houses below tolerable standard March 1979† Per cent. Unemployment 10 July 1980‡ Per cent. Clydebank … … … … … 52,835 2–8 121 City of Dundee … … … … … 190,793 10–4 11–9 Dumbarton … … … … … 79,259 1–2 150 City of Glasgow … … … … … 794,316 12–5 121 Hamilton … … … … … 107,490 2–5 15–3 Inverclyde … … … … … 102,598 1–9 14–0 Monklands … … … … … 109,645 1–2 15–3 Motherwell … … … … … 150,857 2–8 15–3 Renfrew … … … … … 214,534 3–9 10–9 * Figures supplied by the Registrar General for Scotland. † Figures calculated from the District Summary Table in Scottish Housing Statistics, No. 6, Second Quarter 1979. ‡ Figures supplied by Manpower Services Commission. Employment statistics are generally for larger areas than local government districts. In particular Clydebank and Glasgow are in the same area; and so are Hamilton, Motherwell and most of Monklands. There is no information for districts on socio-economic characteristics of households more recent than the 1971 census. The only up-to-date information on derelict land is for Glasgow district, where at the end of 1979 there were 1,792 hectares of vacant land.
§ Mr. Douglasasked the Secretary of of State for Scotland what was the approved expenditure under the Inner Urban Areas Act 1978, per annum for (a) capital expenditure and (b) current expenditure.
§ Mr. RifkindThe only approved expenditure has been in 1979–80 for one loan of £20,000, under section 2 of the Act. Local authorities may however have made other such loans from their general services allocation, without the need to seek specific approval.
§ Mr. Douglasasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the approved expenditure under the urban programme to date (a) for social and environmental projects and (b) for principally economic projects.
576WOfficial Report, in respect of inner urban areas (a) the designated districts and (b) (i) details of the numbers of people in each district, (ii) the socio-economic characteristics of households in each district, (iii) the unemployment rate in each district, (iv) the proportion of substandard housing stock in each district and (v) the amount of derelict land in each district.
§ Mr. RifkindFollowing is the available information:
§ Mr. RifkindIn the financial years 1977–78, 1978–79 and 1979–80 approved expenditure under the urban programme has amounted to £14,547,203, of which 90 per cent. related to social and environmental projects and 10 per cent. to principally economic projects. Information for earlier years is not readily available.
§ Mr. Douglasasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the availability of European Economic Community assitance for areas of urban decay in Scotland and specifically list (a) projects approved under the European Economic Community's regional programme, (b) total assistance (i) capital and (ii) current, resulting from approved projects, (c) projects approved under the European Economic Community's poverty programme and (d) total assistance (i) capital and (ii) current, resulting from the approved projects.
§ Mr. Alexander FletcherThere is no scheme of European Community assistance specifically for areas of urban decay as such, but qualifying infrastructure 577W projects in these areas can be assisted under the European regional development fund. Since 1975 grants totalling £83 million have been made from the fund towards capital expenditure on infrastructure projects throughout Scotland; a breakdown of this total showing projects which could be said specifically to relate to urban decay would present practical difficulties and is not available. Fund assistance is not available for current expenditure.
The projects approved under the Community's anti-poverty programme and expenditure (all of it current) to date are as follows:
Craigmillar Festival Society—£563,900
Social and Community Development Programmer—£223,065
In both cases 50 per cent. of the cost is met by the EEC, 25 per cent. by the Scottish Office and 25 per cent. by Lothian regional council.
§ Mr. Douglasasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the role of the Scottish Development Agency in urban renewal projects in Scotland, together with itemised expenditure in each project.
§ Mr. Alexander FletcherThe agency is co-ordinator of the Glasgow eastern area renewal project and is in discussion with the local authorities concerned with a view to establishing integrated urban renewal projects in Dundee and Leith. The agency's expenditure to date and its estimate of its future commitment to these projects is as follows:
Expenditure to date £ Estimated expenditure to 1983 £ GEAR 22,161,000 39,000,000 Dundee — 6,500,000 Leith 62,000 7,500,000 In addition, the agency has established task forces to ackle the industrial and 578W environmental problems of Clydebank and the Garnock valley, respectively.