§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what steps are being taken to safeguard archaeological sites identified in the course of development of the M74 —A74;
(2) what funds his office has made available, and to which organisations, in connection with emergency archaeological investigation of sites along the proposed development of the A74;
(3) for how long the Lintshie Gutter site will be available to archaeologists engaged in emergency investigation of the site.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThe upgrading of the A74 to motorway standard has provided an unexpected opportunity to discover some of Scotland's past. Throughout the development of the project the Scottish Office's roads directorate has liaised closely with Historic Scotland, an executive agency within the Scottish Office responsible among other things for the protection of ancient monuments. Every effort has been made in determining the line of the motorway to avoid disturbing sites of archaeological importance. In eight locations where this has not been possible, archaeological surveys and excavations have been carried out in advance of the road construction. Without the impetus of the motorway these important examples of Scotland's heritage might have remained hidden for many years to come.
Funds amounting to 100,000 have been granted by the Scottish Office towards archaeological surveys and excavations along the line of the motorway. In addition, Historic Scotland has made a contribution of £75,000. Apart from a small element of survey and monitoring carried out by the Biggar Museum trust, all the work has been undertaken by Archaeology Projects Glasgow (APG) which is a research group set up within Glasgow university archaeologist department to manage fieldwork and consultancy studies for Government and industry.
It is expected that the excavation of the Lintshie Gutter site will be completed by the end of June. The site will remain available for some months beyond that.