§ Mr. Sproatasked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects the enterprise zone at Clydebank to be in operation; what are the major causes of the present delays; what work is currently being undertaken to prepare the designated area; what plans he has for more enterprise zones in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. YoungerSubject to the enactment of the necessary legislation, I hope that the enterprise zone scheme which is proposed for Clydebank will come into operation on 1 April 1981. There has been no delay in implementing the Government's policy on this matter; following discussions with the local authorities concerned, the boundaries of the proposed zone should be finalised in time for formal invitations for the preparation of the scheme to be issued as soon as the Local Government, Planning and Land (No. 2) Bill has completed its remaining stages.
The Government have no plans at present to establish further enterprise zones in Scotland. Because of their experimental nature, only a limited number of zones for the United Kingdom as a whole has been proposed, at least in the first instance.