§ 2. Mr. Hendryasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware that the Cairngorms are, with one exception, the highest mountain mass in the United Kingdom, that, for the purposes 1218 of the Review of Highland Policy, Command Paper No. 785, the greater part of these mountains and their foothills do not form part of the Highlands, that in the upper valleys of the Dee and Don land is cultivated at a higher altitude than in any other part of the country, and that there is a lack of employment in these valleys outwith the short tourist season; and whether he will include in the Highlands, for the purpose of the White Paper, those parts of the constituency of West Aberdeenshire which are Highland in character.
§ The Joint Under-Secretary of State for Scotland (Mr. Gilmour Leburn)My right hon. Friend is aware of conditions in the areas my hon. Friend has in mind, but they are broadly similar to those in rural areas in many other parts of the country. It has been recognised for a long time, however, that conditions in the seven crofting counties in certain respects present unique problems that require special consideration.
§ Mr. HendryDoes not my hon. Friend realise that there has been as much depopulation from the excluded parts of the Highlands as from the crofting counties?
§ Mr. LeburnMy right hon. Friend is always willing to give special consideration to problems brought to his notice, but conditions there do not differ greatly from upland areas in other parts of Scotland, including the south of Scotland.