HC Deb 11 February 1981 vol 998 c339W
17. Mr. Ernie Ross

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will take steps to help the construction industry in Scotland, in view of the serious decline of public sector construction.

Mr. Malcolm Rifkind

The strategy of the Government is to secure a healthy economy which will in turn promote a healthy construction industry. Some restriction of public sector capital spending is a necessary part of this strategy, as the cost of such spending falls inevitably on the hard-pressed private sector.