§ Mr. WrayTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what action he is taking to solve the problem of factory shortages in Strathclyde.
§ Mr. Lang[holding answer 9 March 1990]: The growth in economic activity in Scotland has inevitably led to increased demand for factory space. The Government recognise that the private sector cannot always meet this need. To this end they continue to make funds available to a range of bodies, including local authorities, new town development corporations and the Scottish Development Agency. Since April 1986, the agency alone has spent over £40 million under its factory building programme.
In the current year the three Strathclyde new towns are expected to spend around £26 million on new factory construction and over £4 million on rehabilitation of existing units. An additional £5 million has been made available to local authorities specifically to help meet the demand for small factory units and industrial workshops, just over half of which went to Strathclyde.