§ 19. Mr. Reidasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received within the last two months on the Government's commitment to set up a Scottish Assembly within the life of the present Parliament.
§ Mr. Harry EwingMy right hon. Friend has received the Deliverance of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland on devolution. No other representations on this subject have been made to him during that period.
§ Mr. ReidIs not the Minister being a little coy in glossing over the representations of the Scottish Council of the Labour Party on 10th June, to the effect that unless an Assembly is guaranteed Labour's credibility in Scotland will be totally compromised? How does he define that in terms of his own statement, two years ago, that the Assembly was bang on target, that elections would be held in 1976, and that the Assembly would be in being three or four months ago?
§ Mr. EwingI am surprised that the hon. Gentleman is suggesting that the Scottish Council of the Labour Party made its representations to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State. He should know better than that. The representations were made to my right hon. Friend the Lord President of the Council. The hon. Gentleman's Question asked specifically about representations made to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State. The Government are committed in the next Session to introduce a Bill dealing with devolution for Scotland and Wales, and that is the Government's restated and firm commitment.
§ Mr. CanavanDuring the next General Election campaign, when the Scottish Assembly will already be in existence, what advice will my hon. Friend give to SNP canvassers in Stirlingshire?
§ Mr. EwingIf my hon. Friend is asking me to speculate about an SNP canvassing manual in West Stirlingshire, I should imagine that it would go something like this: "Don't vote for Canavan. He is a Communist", or to the Communists "Don't vote for Canavan. He is a Catholic". The Catholics would be told not to vote for Canavan because he had some other fault. At the end of the day, however, when the votes are counted, I think that we shall find that by far the vast majority of people have voted for my hon. Friend.
§ Mr. Alexander FletcherWhat are the Government's latest intentions with regard to holding a referendum on devolution in Scotland?
§ Mr. EwingThe Government's intentions on the holding of a referendum in Scotland were made perfectly clear during the Committee stage of the Scotland and Wales Bill, before the Bill was eventually withdrawn. The Government still remain committed to the principle of a referendum, but obviously not a pre-legislation referendum. That ought to be made perfectly clear.
§ Mr. SillarsWill the Minister confirm that the Prime Minister has now made this a confidence issue and that that gives it a far better chance than it had previously?
§ Mr. EwingI am really just a junior Minister. I have no authority to speak for my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, who is well able to speak for himself.