§ Mr. William Hannanasked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1)if he will now publish the proposed new boundaries of each local authority and the timetable in which objections can be lodged;
(2) if he has now completed his discussions with local authorities, on the basis of his newest set of proposals for the reform of local government; and if he will make a statement;
(3) how many sets of proposals he has published in efforts to devise acceptable boundaries for the new proposed regional and district local authorities in 1974.
§ Mr. Gordon CampbellThe proposed local authority areas were first outlined in February, 1971, in the White Paper on Reform of Local Government in Scotland. Detailed consultations on the boundaries of these areas were completed last year. I announced on 22nd December, 1971 a number of alterations which I intend to make in the proposed boundaries, and I published on 6th January, 1972, a revised description of the proposed areas.
§ Mr. William Hannanasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if it remains his intention to reorganise local government by 1974, in the light of the response to his proposals.
§ Mr. Gordon CampbellI still intend to introduce a Bill providing for new304W local authorities to begin discharging their functions in 1975, and for the first elections to these authorities to be held in 1974.