asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what action has been taken by the Scottish Office to bring to the attention of local authorities the concept of watchdog committees to check expenditure by local authorities, as set out by the Prime Minister in his speech at East-bourne on 20th November 1975; and what action has been taken by what authorities as a result.

The Prime Minister's speech, which was extensively reported in the Press, contained a number of valuable suggestions which attracted wide attention.