§ Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has any plans to introduce a scheme to assist the Church of Scotland to retain historic churches no longer used for acts of worship and which would otherwise be liable to be demolished; and if he will make a statement.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonChurches in Scotland of any denomination may receive historic building repair grant for repairs and restoration, if they are of outstanding 463W architectural merit or historic interest. Where a church is no longer used for worship, grant is available to encourage a prospective purchaser to restore the building for a new purpose. Over the past 10 years repair grants awarded to former churches for which new uses have been found have amounted to about £2 million.