§ Mr. Allan Stewartasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received from industrial and commercial interests requesting action against Strathclyde and Lothian regional councils in respect of their proposed budgets for 1987–88; and when he expects to reply.
§ Mr. RifkindI have received 17 such representations from industrial or commercial interests or from their representative bodies in the last few weeks. I have also received numerous letters from members of the public. I shall shortly be assessing all local authorities' budgets in detail and expect to announce any decisions on selective action around the end of April.