§ Sir David SteelTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what principle determines the levels of funding allocated to local authorities for closed circuit television systems in Scotland as compared with England and Wales. [23641]
§ Mr. LangCapital consent allocations to Scottish local authorities are not project specific and it is for local authorities themselves to determine their own priorities for their areas, including the provision of closed circuit television systems, from within the total resource available to them.
A recent competition by the Home Office to fund closed circuit television systems in England and Wales was not emulated in Scotland. In Scotland we remain firmly of the view that funding for the installation of CCTV should continue to be provided by joint ventures involving local businesses, local authorities and other groups who derive a direct benefit from the resource.
These financial arrangements, involving a large public sector commitment, have worked well. I am glad to say that there are already 13 CCTV schemes in Scotland, with more in prospect.