§ 6. Mrs. Margaret Ewing (Moray)What plans he has for the participation by Scottish Office Ministers in the Highlands and Islands convention. [87519]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland (Mr. Calum Macdonald)From 1 July, decisions on the future of the convention, its membership and structure will be a matter for the Scottish Parliament and Administration.
§ Mrs. EwingThat is a very interesting reply. Is the Minister saying that the Scottish Executive will be able to lead on the recommendations and possible legislation emerging from the Highlands and Islands convention in spheres such as fishing, agriculture, tourism and the environment, which all affect employment in the highlands and islands? Does that mean that there will be no interference whatsoever from the Scottish Office?
§ Mr. MacdonaldWhat I mean is that it is up to the Scottish Parliament and the Executive to organise the convention in whatever format it sees fit. Obviously, there will need to be changes to the existing format because of the existence of Members of the Scottish Parliament and a different arrangement for the participation of MEPs. All those matters will have to be considered. Many reserved matters impact on the highlands and islands, and the convention will no doubt want to discuss them. I greatly enjoyed my time with the convention, and if it wants to issue an invitation to me I will be happy to accept it.
§ Mrs. Rosemary McKenna (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth)Will my hon. Friend assure the House that the UK Government will continue to take a great interest in matters relating to the highlands and islands, because many aspects of the reserved powers—in fact, all the areas covered by the convention—will be absolutely crucial to the people of the highlands and islands?
§ Mr. MacdonaldI can confirm that many issues that were discussed at previous meetings of the convention are now reserved powers: for example, general issues of trade and industry. Their impact on the highlands and islands will be an important subject of discussion for the convention participants. I know that the Under-Secretary of State for Scotland, Lord Macdonald of Tradeston, who is responsible for business and industry, attended previous meetings of the convention. I hope that Ministers from the UK Government will continue to have such a role, but it is entirely for the convention to decide that and to issue invitations for people to join.