§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what response he has made to the letter from the director general of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, Dr. Martin Holdgate FRS, relating to Mar lodge; and if he will put copies of the correspondence in the Library.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonI have arranged to have copies of Dr. Holdgate's letter of 16 May to my right hon. Friend, and the Scottish Office Environment Department's reply of 5 June, placed in the Library.
§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to his answer of 19 June,Official Report, column 279, what further proposals he has received relating to the future of Mar lodge; and what response he had made.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonOn 27 June I met representatives of the World Wide Fund for Nature, The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the Chris Brasher trust who outlined their proposals for the purchase of the Mar lodge estate.
My response was that private ownership can and does provide for effective management of the natural heritage in Scotland. In this context, the proposal that the Government provide 50 per cent. of the purchase price of the Mar lodge estate is inconsistent with Government policy.