HC Deb 22 February 1967 vol 741 cc1688-90
4. Earl of Dalkeith

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will seek powers to obtain the necessary information, and then publish a half-yearly survey classifying migrants from Scotland by age, sex, occupation and training qualifications, so as to enable a true assessment to be made of the effects of emigration on the National Plan in respect of Scotland.

The Secretary of State for Scotland (Mr. William Ross)

No, Sir. Any legislation designed to obtain detailed information about every migrant would have to require all persons leaving or settling in Scotland to report their movements to some central authority, and I do not consider a solution to be either practicable or desirable.

Earl of Dalkeith

I appreciate the difficulties which the right hon. Gentleman faces in compiling this information, but how else does he expect to be able to produce the right policies for Scotland aimed at halting this terrible exodus unless he produces a realistic assessment of why people are going?

Mr. Ross

The hon. Gentleman should appreciate that we have always been in this difficulty since we have collected these statistics. He will appreciate also that a change was made in the collection of statistics with regard to Scots going overseas in 1963. The present Government have set up, as my right hon. Friend the Minister of Technology said on 13th Fberuary, an interdepartmental committee, on which we are represented, to examine migration statistics and recommend changes. This is a very complex matter to put right and to get the correct statistics without overburdening either the individuals or those who come in contact with them in ships, at airports, and so on.

Mr. Hector Hughes

Will the Secretary of State reconsider that negative answer, because the survey asked for in the Question would be a very useful index of the state of employment in the various areas in Scotland?

Mr. Ross

My hon. and learned Friend should reread the Question. It asks me to seek powers—powers which I do not think would be acceptable in a country like this.

Mr. Noble

I understand the Secretary of State's difficulty, but could he not ask some of the universities whether they could provide at least a sample of this information so that he and the House have better information?

Mr. Ross

The sample taken at a census will give us the opportunity of checking the accuracy or otherwise of what we are presently doing. The right hon. Gentleman was in exactly the same position. He might tell us what he did about it.