§ Sir Russell Fairgrieveasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the cost of maintaining the Invergordon smelter beyond the six months' agreement with the British Aluminium Company Ltd.
§ Mr. Younger:In my statement to the House on 18 January—[Vol. 16, c. 21–22.1—I announced that the British Aluminium Company had undertaken to maintain the plant in a useable condition until the end of June, during which time it was hoped a new operator could be identified. Towards the end of this period and in order to assist in these efforts the company agreed to a one-month extension of the deadline for dismantling the plant. The Government agreed to compensate the company for the cost of maintenance of the smelter for the month of July. A claim for £178,000, supported by an auditor's certificate, was submitted by the company and reimbursement was made earlier this month. Parliamentary approval to this new service will be sought in a winter Supplementary Estimate for the Selective Assistance and Compensation Scotland Vote, Class XV, 5. Pending that approval, the necessary expenditure was met by a repayable advance from the Contingencies Fund.