§ Q5. Mr. Rankinasked the Prime Minister whether he will concentrate the powers to deal with Scottish unemployment in the hands of the Secretary of State for Scotland.
§ The Prime MinisterMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland already has a wide range of responsibilities but there are some aspects of the problem which in the interests of Scotland itself must necessarily be dealt with by Ministers covering Great Britain as a whole.
§ Mr. RankinDoes not the Prime Minister appreciate that Questions on some of the most important aspects of Scottish unemployment and employment have to be put to Ministers who have no real knowledge of Scottish conditions? Is not this a matter which should be simplified? If Scottish Members are to get an accurate idea of the situation in Scotland, they have to chase around as many as six members of the Government. Does the Prime Minister think that that is a satisfactory state of affairs and can he not simplify it?
§ The Prime MinisterThe Scottish Office deals with a very wide range of Scottish problems. If the hon. Member has in mind the Board of Trade, it would not be an advantage to Scotland if the responsibilities of the Board of Trade did not cover the whole of the United Kingdom. I think that it would be an injury to Scotland. In the same way, 1128 on financial questions the Chancellor of the Exchequer must be considered responsible for the finances of the whole United Kingdom. But with those limitations where there are necessarily overall responsibilities, under the present system the Scottish Office is in control of all the Departments of which it is right that it should have direct control.
§ Mr. Emrys HughesIn view of his unjustified optimism about forming another Administration, is the Prime Minister aware that as things are going in Scotland he might have to take on the job of Secretary of State for Scotland himself?
§ The Prime MinisterI shall then look forward to the second volume of my biography.
§ Mr. RossThe Prime Minister said that the Secretary of State for Scotland already had wide powers of supervision over the employment situation in Scotland. Does he not realise that that means, having had the benefit of Cabinet Ministers in charge of this office for 12 years under Tory administration—the Secretary of State is a Cabinet Minister—either that the men have been inept or inadequate, or that the powers have been inadequate, since we now have 128,000 unemployed.
§ The Prime MinisterI think that the hon. Member was more anxious to make a statement than ask a question.