§ Mr. James Davidsonasked the President of the Board of Trade (1) if, in view of the British Railways Board announcement that the Railway Workshops in Inverurie are to be closed, he will now take steps to make the Inverurie area a special development area;
(2) what new steps he is now taking to attract new industry to Inverurie now that the Board of British Railways has announced its decision to close the Inverurie Railway Workshops;
(3) what action he is taking to ensure that alternative employment will be available in the Inverurie area for all the employees of the Inverurie Railway Workshops.
§ Mrs. Gwyneth DunwoodyI understand that the British Railways Board has not announced the closure of the workshops, but has told the unions that in its view closure was unavoidable. Before a final decision is taken by the British Railways Board there is to be full consultation and a further meeting with the unions. While I shall be keeping the position under careful review, I have no plans for designating Inverurie as a Special Development Area. The full range of development area incentives continues to be available for new pro-374W jects and expansions in the area, and every opportunity will be taken to bring the attractions of the area to the notice of suitable firms.