§ Mr. Alexander Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps 100W he proposes to take, in order to reduce the unemployment figures in Lanarkshire.
§ Mr. Gordon CampbellI have myself authorised more than £11 million worth of new work in Lanarkshire over the next 16 months under the additional works programme. This is by far the biggest total for any county in Scotland and will have a significant effect in increasing employment in the short-term.
I am also confident that the steel industry will benefit from the very large programme of naval orders, totalling £45 million, for the shipyards on the Clyde which has recently been announced. Further, the inclusion of the main industrial area of Lanarkshire in the large West of Scotland Special Development Area qualifies the county for a very wide range of incentives to new industrial investment.