§ 15. Sir D. Robertsonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to encourage the exports of Scottish industry.
§ The Secretary of State for Scotland (Mr. James Stuart)In matters of special interest to Scottish exports I keep in close touch with the President of the Board of Trade, who is responsible for the encouragement of the exports of the United Kingdom as a whole.
§ Sir D. RobertsonIs my right hon. Friend aware that a United Kingdom mission to Egypt, Ethiopia, and the Sudan, will shortly leave—at the expense of the taxpayer—to promote and develop industry in those countries and to obtain orders for British exports, but that Scottish industry is not represented on that 11-man delegation? Is not that quite wrong, having regard to the fact that Scottish industries play an important part in developing these countries with capital goods such as steamships, locomotives and engineering products of all kinds?
§ Mr. StuartThe trades, on a United Kingdom basis, may make recommendations as to the representatives they wish to send. As the President of the Board of Trade said, on 16th December, it would not be practicable to organise trade missions on a geographical as well as a trade basis, without making them unwieldy.
§ Mr. GrimondWill the right hon. Gentleman agree that Scotland is particularly concerned with heavy industries, and can he assure the House that he is consulted before these trade missions are finally decided upon?
§ Mr. StuartI can assure the hon. Gentleman that the trades concerned are consulted, and I am certainly most anxious to see that Scotland is always adequately represented.