§ Mr. Eadieasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he is yet in a position to announce the Government's decision about the granting of special development area status to Livingston New Town.
§ Sir J. Gilmourasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he is yet in a position to announce the Government's decision about the granting of special development area status to Glenrothes New Town.
§ Mr. Anthony GrantYes. The House will recall that following the creation of the new West Central Scotland S.DA. in February it was announced that consideration would be given to making S.DA. incentives available in Livingston and Glenrothes New Towns provided that they could make a really early and substantial contribution towards solving the problems of the new S.D.A. in West Central Scotland.
Since then my Department and the Scottish Office have had discussions with 280W the Development Corporations in the light of which it has now been decided to make S.D.A. benefits available in both Livingston and Glenrothes New Towns, subject to certain conditions. These are that each town will take 50 per cent. of its new population intake in the next twelve months from within the West Central Scotland S.D.A. and 80 per cent. in each of the following years. These conditions are acceptable to the New Town Development Corporations who fully understand that should the targets not be met, S.D.A. status will be withdrawn from them.