§ 13. Mr. James Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will make a statement on his official meeting on 27th March with the Scottish Assembly.
§ Mr. Gordon CampbellAs my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has already told the House, the Standing Commission of the Scottish Assembly welcomed the Government's new regional measures and suggested that certain further measures be considered.—[Vol. 834, c. 230.]
§ Mr. HamiltonIn the discussion with the Assembly delegates about the situation in Scotland did the right hon. Gentleman remember that we have over 150,000 unemployed in Scotland, and does he realise that since he had that discussion two factories in my constituency have been closed? Can he now give us some assurance that in discussions, not only with those delegates but also with Members from this side of the House, he will tell us what he is going to do, at least to give some hope to Scotland, and will he give an undertaking to the people in Scotland that they are not forgotten?
§ Mr. CampbellIn the discussion, which went on for nearly two hours, the question of the high unemployment in Scotland was, of course, one of the matters which was underlying the discussion. The particular points which have just been announced were welcomed, such as free depreciation over the whole country, the setting up of a new industrial development office in Scotland which would be able to take initiatives besides administering grants and loans north of the Border and, particularly equal treatment to industry wishing to expand 1244 as to incoming industry, thereby removing an anomaly which, incidentally, resulted from the measures introduced by the last Government.
§ Mr. Wolrige-GordonWhile welcoming its splendid work, which has been very widely welcomed, may I ask my right hon. Friend to tell us what further measures were suggested at this meeting?
§ Mr. CampbellYes. There were discussions about how R.E.P. would be phased out and what might replace it, and there was a catalogue of a number of matters about which I can tell my hon. Friend, but I cannot give him the total now. We were mainly concerned with what could be done to improve the prospects for employment.
§ Mr. RossBearing in mind that this time last year the Secretary of State told us that he expected there would be an improvement in the employment position in Scotland by the end of that year, and that by that time it was worse than it had ever been, could the right hon. Gentleman venture to predict today when he expects to see an improvement in the figures, and by how much?
§ Mr. CampbellThe right hon. Gentleman has been in this House long enough—some would say too long—
§ Mr. DalyellCheap.
§ Mr. Campbell—wait for it—to know that Governments have never made predictions and forecasts on unemployment figures ahead. The right hon. Gentleman referred to something I said, but I was then expressing a hope—[Hon. Members: "Ah".]—about employment, and the hope was shared, I thought, at the time by both sides of the House.
§ Mr. RossSince I have been long enough here to take note of the right hon. Gentleman's answers and consistently to hang his own words around his neck, may I suggest to him that he went further than that and said there would be an improvement? As there has been no improvement I am asking him now whether he expects that there will be an improvement in the employment figures by the end of this year?
§ Mr. CampbellI am now expressing a similar hope. Of course, it is our intention to do all we can to improve the figures, but I cannot make a forecast.