asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will consider introducing a special supplement to the rate support grant that will give extra assistance to areas like Dundee that are suffering from high unemployment.

Assistance is already available to help provide new employment in companies with a prospect of viability in the long or short term where such assistance is necessary to ensure that the relevant projects proceed. I believe this is a better way to channel resources into areas of high unemployment than to operate through the rate support grant.