§ 20. Mr. Ancramasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many letters he has received from the general public since assuming office.
§ Mr. William RossThis information could not be obtained without disproportionate effort.
§ Mr. AncramI appreciate that the right hon. Gentleman may not be prepared to make a disproportionate effort to find the answer. Is he aware, from the correspondence he has received since the election, of the growing concern among low-paid workers in Scotland—who do not have large unions to pressurise the Government—that the only effect of the social compact so far is to drive their wages further and further down compared with those of other people, and that they are now looking for some form of relativities policy to stop them becoming the new poor of the 1970s?
§ Mr. RossWe receive about 8,000 items of mail a day at St. Andrew's House, and I reckon that today we have not received a single one on the subject the hon. Gentleman raises. The number of letters we receive on any subject is usually in inverse proportion to the din created by Opposition Members.