asked the Minister of Transport how many vehicle licence offices are at present located in Scotland; how many persons are employed in them; and what offices will be closed when the new central licensing arrangements are introduced.
The information is as follows:
| Existing Local Taxation Offices (Those to be closed under centralisation marked*) | Staff Number (at 31.3.68) |
| (1*)Aberdeen (2) | 22 |
| *Alloa | 3 |
| Ayr | 16 |
| *Banff | 4 |
| *Bute | 1 |
| *Coatbridge | 3 |
| *Cupar (Fife) | 15 |
| *Dingwall | 5 |
| *Dumbarton | 9 |
| Dumfries | 7 |
| Dundee | 9 |
| *Duns | 3 |
| (1*)Edinburgh(2) | 34 |
| *Elgin | 4 |
| *Forfar | 7 |
| Glasgow | 36 |
| *Golspie | 2 |
| *Greenock | 4 |
| *Haddington | 5 |
| *Hamilton | 21 |
| Inverness | 6 |
| *Kinross | 1 |
| *Kirkcaldy | 4 |
| *Kirkcudbright | 3 |
| Kirkwall | 3 |
| Lerwick | 2 |
| *Linlithgow | 5 |
| *Lochgilphead | 6 |
| *Motherwell | 4 |
| *Nairn | 1 |
| *Paisley (2) | 14 |
| *Peebles | 2 |
| *Perth | 11 |
| St. Boswells | 4 |
| *Selkirk | 2 |
| Stirling | 12 |
| *Stonehaven | 3 |
| Stranraer | 3 |
| Wick | 3 |
asked the Minister of Transport how many persons employed in vehicle licence and taxation offices will be made redundant in consequence of the new central licensing proposals; and what steps he is taking to protect the salary and promotion prospects of these employees.
It is too soon for the amount of redundancy to be assessed. Our aim will be to keep it to a minimum. Local taxation office staff will have the first opportunity to apply for posts in the new organisation and, as I explained when moving the Second Reading of the Bill today, provision is made for compensation to be paid to staff who lose their employment or suffer loss of pay.