asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what the population will be in each of the new towns in 1970, 1975 and 1980, including existing new towns such as East Kilbride, new town projects which are Government sponsored such as Irvine, and privately sponsored schemes, such as Waterside in Ayrshire.
Taking account of present population, the increased building programme which is planned, and natural growth later, the estimated populations of the existing new towns are as follows:
| 1970 | 1975 | 1980 | |
| East Kilbride | 67,000 | 78,000 | 88,000 |
| Glenrothes | 33,000 | 51,000 | 63,000 |
| Cumbernauld | 36,000 | 61,000 | 74,000 |
| Livingston | 19,000 | 44,000 | 70,000 |
Comparable estimates for the area at Irvine, if it is designated as a New Town, are about 25,000, 43,000 and 68,000, including the existing population of about 18,000.
I cannot make any reliable estimate of the population expansion from private developments such as that proposed at Waterside.