§ Mr. Pollockasked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he will make publicly available the report of the steering group on the amalgamation of the Macaulay Institute of Soil Research and the Hill Farming Organisation; and when he will announce his decision on the location of the new institute.
§ Mr. RifkindThe steering group report is being made available to interested parties today, and I have arranged for copies to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses. I am grateful to the members of the steering group for their careful analysis of the various matters relevant to the establishment of the new institute, including their consideration of the question of its location. There are good arguments for supporting location either in Aberdeen or Edinburgh. I have decided that the interests of agricultural science in Scotland would be best served by locating the new institute in Aberdeen. Of the two sites in Aberdeen which have been appraised, Bucksburn offers greater advantages, and I am asking my officials to initiate action now towards the establishment of the new institute on that site.