HC Deb 04 August 1971 vol 822 cc1572-3
24. Mr. Douglas

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate his Economic and Statistical Advisory Section has made of the effect of the Government's fiscal policies on the use of manpower in Scotland.

Mr. Gordon Campbell

As a result of the advice I receive, I am confident that the fiscal policies being pursued by the Government will be beneficial for the Scottish economy and the use of manpower in Scotland.

Mr. Douglas

Does the right hon. Gentleman accept that Government policies will produce in the coming winter a level of unemployment in Scotland involving at least 160,000 people, and that although the efforts of the Economic and Statistical Advisory Section are resulting in our having the best analysed economy in Western Europe, the Government's policies are resulting in our having the worst economy?

Mr. Campbell

I am certainly getting very good service from the new Advisory Section in the Scottish Office. The hon. Gentleman will be aware that we have been having to cope in the last year with a situation which we found on arrival in office.

Mr. Douglas

With double the unemployment?

Mr. Campbell

The advice I am receiving is valuable to us in dealing with this very worrying situation of high unemployment.

Mr. Buchan

If the advice the light hon. Gentleman is receiving is the advice that we are seeing expressed in the results of Government action, it is time he ignored it and got better advice. Is he aware that the present level of unemployment in Scotland represents a loss of 33 million working days to Scottish industry? Does he appreciate that the biggest waste of manpower in Scotland today is for 8,000 shipyard workers on the Clyde who want to work to be told that they may not work? Will he do something to remedy this state of affairs?

Mr. Campbell

I dealt with that point in answer to earlier Questions. The advice I receive relates to what should be done in the future. The hon. Gentleman knows that it takes time for measures which are announced, passed through this House and put into effect to become effective in the country. We are up against the problem of time, and on that point I agree with the hon. Gentleman.