§ 30. Mr. John MacLeodasked the Secretary of State for Scotland the number, and the names, of the official bodies responsible for advising him in the seven Crofter Counties.
§ Mr. MaclayThe only official bodies responsible for advising me specifically in relation to the seven Crofter Counties are the Advisory Panel on the Highlands and Islands, the Crofters' Commission, and the Standing Advisory Committee on the Health Services in the Highlands and Islands.
§ Mr. MacLeodCan my right hon. Friend say how many other bodies there are, because surely there is a lot of unnecessary duplication and overlapping of work, and there should be much greater co-ordination even between the bodies he has mentioned?
§ Mr. MaclayThe ones I have named are the only official bodies, but the principal other bodies are listed in paragraph 279 of the Report of the Royal Commission on Scottish Affairs. I am conscious of the fact that there may appear to be some overlapping, but I believe on the whole that these bodies have specific jobs to do and are doing them fairly well, in many cases very well indeed.
§ Mr. WoodburnCan the right hon. Gentleman say whether there is any prospect of him acting on the advice he gets from the bodies?
§ Mr. MaclayIn a great many cases I do, subject to economic conditions and other limitations.