§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Scotland from whom he has received suggestions that mountain bothies should be removed.
§ Mr. Gordon CampbellFollowing the recommendations of the fatal accident inquiry into the deaths of six children and their leader in the Cairngorms in November 1971 I asked the Scottish Sports Council to consult various interests on the question whether the bothies should be removed. They reported to me earlier this year that, with the exception of one or two dissentient voices, there was a clear consensus of opinion in favour of removal. The Chief Constable of the Scottish North-Eastern Counties Constabulary, who had been making his own inquiries, came to a similar conclusion. Since the announcement of the chief constables' decision not to go ahead with the demolition of the bothies I have received further representations to the same effect, including some from the Mountaineering Council of Scotland.