HC Deb 15 December 1976 vol 922 cc1506-8
8. Mr. Tim Renton

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he next proposes to visit the Shetland Islands.

Mr. Harry Ewing

My right hon. Friend has, at present, no plans to do so.

Mr. Renton

Are Ministers frightened to go to the Shetlands these days? Based on the estimate that £2¼ billion from tax and royalties may come to the Exchequer as a result of oil flowing through the Shetlands, to what extent will the Government be influenced by the view of the Shetland Islands Council that it sees no advantage in the Scottish Assembly and that unless its position is safeguarded it may seek to exclude Shetland from the devolution Bill?

Mr. Ewing

Ministers are not frightened to go to the Shetlands. My right hon. Friend, in his capacity as Minister of State, was there in April of this year. I was there in June to discuss devolution with the Shetland Islands Council. We regard Shetland as part of Scotland and as part of the United Kingdom, and it will be covered by the Scotland and Wales Bill.

Mr. Buchan

Will the Minister ask his right hon. Friend to reconsider that answer? Would it not be valuable to go to Shetland and to take the Leader of the SNP with him so that he can explain to the Shetland Council how he squares the SNP's policy, which is to grant up to full autonomy to Shetland while at the same time claiming its oil as Scotland's? Is this not a case of offering independence on the one hand and keeping cheap oil resources on the other, which to me equals imperialism?

Mr. Ewing

My right hon. Friend is extremely busy and no doubt he will make his own arrangements about when to visit various parts of the country. As for the position of the Leader of the SNP, I get the feeling that the SNP might be invited to Shetland. I have a copy of the minutes of the council meeting of 29th October when it was suggested that the SNP should be approached to promote a Private Member's Bill to protect Shetland from devolution.

Mr. Rifkind

Will the right hon. Gentleman investigate the apparent link between the BBC and the right hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr. Grimond) now that both his Labour and nationalist opponents at the General Election have had to resign their candidatures and have been appointed BBC spokesmen in Orkney and Shetland?

Mr. Ewing

I am not quite sure of the implications of the question. If it means that the right hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr. Grimond) has such a close relationship with the BBC that he should resign, I was not aware of that relationship.

Mr. Grimond

I assure the Government that I have had to get rid only of my SNP opponent. My Labour opponent has resigned of his own accord. No doubt in disgust with the Government.