asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals he has received from local authorities, as a result of his scheme, announced on 7th February to improve the urban environment.

Local authorities received details of this scheme from the Scottish Development Department only some two weeks ago, and it is as yet a little early for them to have completed individual submissions.

What time scale does the Department have in mind?

I hope that within the next week or two the schemes will begin coming in from local authorities. As for completion of the work, we are very anxious that it is completed by the middle of 1973.