HC Deb 31 October 1984 vol 65 cc1280-1
2. Mr. James Hamilton

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he will next meet the Scottish Trades Union Congress general council to discuss the economic and industrial situation in Scotland.

The Secretary of State for Scotland (Mr. George Younger)

I have no immediate plans to meet the general council of the STUC to discuss the economic and industrial situation in Scotland. I meet senior trade union representatives as often as possible. I shall be meeting them next month to discuss local authority expenditure.

Mr. Hamilton

When the Secretary of State next meets the general council of the Scottish Trades Union Congress and tells it about the inward investment successes, will he also remind council members about the 370,000 unemployed? That is the true figure. Will he remind them that one in four in Strathclyde is still unemployed? Will he also tell them whether he agrees with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who has stated that the Government can do very little about the economy of the country? If the Secretary of State agrees with that view, will he resign and let someone else do the job?

Mr. Younger

The hon. Gentleman has given me a lot of instructions. I shall, of course, consider them all carefully. I do not consider that it will be necessary either for me to advise the STUC, or for it to advise me, about present unemployment levels in Scotland. We are only too well aware of them.

What my right hon. Friend has been saying so tellingly in recent weeks is true. He says that those in work should think hard about excessive wage claims which may price others out of work.

Mr. Bill Walker

When the STUC makes statements about unemployment, should it not bear in mind the impact of the present coal strike on places such as Ravenscraig? Is it not also true that people are often judged by the friends that they keep? When the STUC next meets the mineworkers' union, should it not remind the union that Colonel Gaddafi is not very well received in other parts of the country?

Mr. Younger

I appreciate my hon. Friend's final remark. Over recent months, unfortunately, certain sections of the trade union movement seem by their actions to have deliberately tried to ensure that people lose their jobs. I hope that common sense will prevail before too long and that those sections will appreciate the considerable success of the Government in bringing new jobs into Scotland.

Mr. Wilson

I noted the Secretary of State's reluctance, in answering the first question, to give any information about the long-term future of Locate in Scotland. Will the Secretary of State come clean on another matter that is causing Scots, and the STUC in particular, much concern — the review of regional grants, and their future? Will the Secretary of State give a copper-bottomed guarantee that Scotland will not lose in any way under the current review?

Mr. Younger

The hon. Gentleman will not expect me to anticipate the results of the review. I can only say that the Government believe very strongly in a strong regional policy, and that I believe that the final decisions will bear that out.