The text on this page has been created from Hansard archive content, it may contain typographical errors.
Mr. Sillars
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he or any agency responsible to him has commissioned a business plan for an independent Scottish steel industry.
Mr. Lang
No, nor would it be appropriate for my right hon. and learned Friend to do so.
Mr. Sillars
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has formally asked British Steel if it is prepared to sell its Scottish assets to enable them to form the basis of an independent Scottish steel industry.
Mr. Lang
The chairman of British Steel has assured my right hon. and learned Friend and me that if the company should wish at some stage to close its steelmaking facilities at Ravenscraig, it would consider on a commercial basis, any wholly private sector offer for those facilities as an alternative to closure.
Provision for under 5s in Scotland (pupils or places) | |||||||||||
1978–79 | 1979–80 | 1980–81 | 1981–82 | 1982–83 | 1983–84 | 1984–85 | 1985–86 | 1986–87 | 1987–88 | 1988–89 | |
Borders | 1,728 | 1,416 | 1,321 | 1,422 | 1,952 | 2,020 | 2,077 | 2,130 | 2,239 | 2,431 | 2,282 |
Central | 4,182 | 4,142 | 4,383 | 4,647 | 4,808 | 5,055 | 5,089 | 5,321 | 5,628 | 6,008 | 6,373 |
Dumfries and Galloway | 1,492 | 1,548 | 1,571 | 1,673 | 1,951 | 2,060 | 2,265 | 2,127 | 2,278 | 2,428 | 2,695 |
Fife | 6,676 | 5,804 | 5,817 | 5,729 | 7,214 | 6,627 | 7,073 | 7,231 | 7,499 | 7,921 | 8,370 |
Grampian | 7,955 | 7,748 | 7,981 | 8,211 | 8,134 | 8,230 | 8,741 | 8,490 | 8,764 | 8,915 | 9,617 |
Highland | 2,923 | 3,060 | 3,230 | 3,426 | 3,729 | 3,339 | 3,572 | 4,140 | 4,010 | 4,229 | 4,727 |
Lothian | 14,665 | 13,727 | 14,152 | 14,018 | 13,859 | 14,524 | 15,356 | 14,947 | 16,109 | 16,406 | 18,217 |
Strathclyde | 36,278 | 34,646 | 36,925 | 35,662 | 37,915 | 39,881 | 40,113 | 39,343 | 40,301 | 44,767 | 41,557 |
Tayside | 5,998 | 6,269 | 5,920 | 5,620 | 6,145 | 6,232 | 6,244 | 5,760 | 6,486 | 6,858 | 7,636 |
Orkney | 472 | 558 | 543 | 506 | 548 | 553 | 643 | 522 | 700 | 729 | 811 |
Shetland | 518 | 622 | 630 | 671 | 677 | 578 | 575 | 649 | 665 | 699 | 708 |
Western Isles | 431 | 498 | 538 | 479 | 589 | 679 | 1,274 | 1,587 | 1,680 | 1,503 | 968 |
Scotland | 83,318 | 80,040 | 83,643 | 82,056 | 86,821 | 89,748 | 93,022 | 92,247 | 96,359 | 102,894 | 103,961 |