In view of the time factor, my intervention will of necessity be extremely brief. I am, however, very much concerned, as the Member for the neighbouring constituency, that we should have a strong and healthy town in Glenrothes. The future of Glenrothes concerns the town of Kirkcaldy and the surrounding district very much.

In view of the fact that only yesterday one of the leading Scottish Sunday papers described today as "black Monday" because of the rail closures, I venture to suggest that if Rothes pit should eventually be closed we will have a black day in Fife. It is claimed that some of the men who are declared redundant will be employed in some of the neighbouring pits, some, perhaps in my constituency. Those pits may then well become uneconomic and be threatened because of the statement made by the Minister of Power some weeks ago. Therefore, we are very much concerned that something should be done by the Government to ensure the future prosperity of Glenrothes.

I should like to refer briefly to the stop-and-go policy which has been operating in Glenrothes for some time, largely at the Government's behest. In 1959 it was stated that between 1960 and 1964 Glenrothes would be building about 800 houses a year. Then in November, 1960, the estimate was revised, when it was declared that in view of a change of policy approximately 400 houses per year would be built. It was intended in the original estimate to build about 400 houses in each six-monthly period, but the facts are that in the six months to April this year only 110 houses were completed in Glenrothes against a programme of 400 for the full year, and in the first nine months of 1961 a total of only 202 houses have been completed, or considerably less than even the revised programme.

The result of all this has completely upset the calculations of the education authority in Fife, which has the proud record of being the only authority in the country to have provided new towns with full-time education. Though it has always provided schools in advance of growing populations in the new towns, a new primary school will be opened in August with only 100 primary pupils. Another planned school will not be started, and a high school which ought to have been required in 1962 according to the figures will now be required only in 1964 or even later.

Glenrothes, despite some of the announcements from Government sources, should not be regarded as the Cinderella of Britain's new towns. As paragraph 99 of the Report on new towns states: The difficulties under which the Corporation work in comparison with other areas, cannot, however, be too heavily stressed, and it is vital that some of these unnecessary handicaps be removed without delay. These are the handicaps to which my hon. Friend has referred. I support him strongly in his plea for an advance factory so that we may have a prosperous and healthy town in Glenrothes in the future.