§ 8. Mr. Douglas Hendersonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many times since United Kingdom entry to the EEC the Scottish Office has been represented at ministerial level at meetings of the Council of Ministers
§ Mr. William RossSo far as I am aware, at one meeting during the previous administration
§ Mr. HendersonI thank the Secretary of State for that reply, which will cause great concern in Scotland. Will the right hon. Gentleman consider breaking with the bad habits of his predecessor and stand up for Scotland by insisting that he is represented at all future meetings of the Council of Ministers?
§ Mr. RossI do not believe that is necessary. Co-ordination within the Government takes place interdepartmentally, and a Minister goes to the meetings not to represent any one Department or any one point of view. That is the correct way to do it. Scottish Office Ministers will 407 attend as and when we consider it essential.
§ Mr. SproatWill the right hon. Gentleman continue to resist such parochial tendencies as are expressed by the hon. Member for Aberdeenshire, East (Mr. Henderson)? Will he confirm that my hon. Friend the Member for North Angus and Mearns (Mr. Buchanan-Smith) represented not only Scottish interests in Europe but, on occasions, solely United Kingdom interests, as did my right hon. Friend the Member for Kinross and West Perthshire (Sir A. Douglas-Home)?
§ Mr. RossThat is quite correct, and that is the proper and sensible attitude to adopt. I hope that the new-come members of the Scottish National Party will drop their parochial approach to this matter
§ Mr. Buchanan-SmithWill the right hon. Gentleman take another look at the number of times that a Scottish Office Minister has represented not only Scotland but the United Kingdom in these negotiations? If my memory serves me correctly, I am sure it happened more than once. Will the right hon. Gentleman also confirm what was said by my hon. Friend the Member for Aberdeen, South (Mr. Sproat), that the Scottish Office and we in Scotland will give all support to Scottish Office Ministers representing United Kingdom interests in Europe, as has happened in the past?