§ 34. Mr. Sillarsasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make an official visit to the mining areas of Scotland.
§ Mr. Gordon CampbellFrom time to time I make visits to mining areas for various reasons, but I am not at present planning to make a special tour of Scottish collieries.
§ Mr. SillarsPerhaps the right hon. Gentleman would reconsider his decision on this matter. Is he aware of the great concern in the mining areas about our entry to the Common Market? Indeed, the concern is matched elsewhere in Scotland only in the constituency of the hon. Member for Glasgow, Cathcart (Mr. Edward Taylor), where people are very concerned about the "no comment" remark by their Member of Parliament. Is he aware that there is reference to pricing policy in paragraph 157 of the White Paper on the European Community? Has any separate assessment been made of the effect of that pricing policy on the Scottish mining industry, bearing in mind our difficulties about transport and geology as distinct from other coalfields in Britain?
§ Mr. CampbellAs the hon. Gentleman knows, I am not the Minister responsible for the coal industry. But I am aware that there is some anxiety about the position of the coal industry if we join the European Coal and Steel Community. But it is being unnecessarily whipped up by the hon. Gentleman, who has misunderstood what is likely to happen.