§ 12. Mr. GallowayTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what further consideration he has given to the issue of improving the governance of Scotland; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. LangOur review of ways of making the government of Scotland more responsible to Scotland's needs within the Union is continuing.
§ Mr. GallowayAs my hon. Friends say, "Oh dear, oh dear." The Secretary of State has now been taking stock for 224 days. We have not had the merest whimper of an acknowledgment, that although he governs our country, 75 per cent. of our people voted against him. In Edinburgh on 12 December the Secretary of State, with his Cabinet colleagues, will be closeted with the European Heads of Government and grappling with them over the British Government's demand for subsidiarity, defined as the right of people to have local decisions taken as locally as possible. How can it be that it is right for this House of Commons and this British state to have subsidiarity when it is wrong for the people whom the Secretary of State misrepresents in this House and in the British Cabinet room?
§ Mr. LangI understand the hon. Gentleman's sense of frustration. After all, he laid out his own programme in July of this year when, Scotland United, an organisation which existed at the time, and to which he belonged called for
more extra-parliamentary work … a less reverential approach to Parliament itself; a shadow Scottish parliament meeting in Edinburgh; selective boycotts of set-piece parliamentary occasions like the now farcical Scottish Question Time; a greatly expanded Scottish Labour front 288 bench; and the planned disruption of strategically-selected Commons business No 'business as usual' until the Government comes to the negotiating table.Plainly, as I look around me, Madam Speaker, I see that the hon. Gentleman's negotiations have not made much headway.
§ Mr. Bill WalkerCan my right hon. Friend confirm that in the taking-stock exercise, the Conservative and Unionist Government are not considering the flawed proposals put forward by the Labour party or the unworkable proposals put forward by the Scottish Convention? They would be bad for the Union, bad for the unitary Parliament and eventually very bad for the people of Scotland.
§ Mr. LangI am happy to reassure my hon. Friend that our proposals will do nothing to undermine the integrity of the United Kingdom or this sovereign Parliament, unlike the Opposition's proposals in the general election. I can also assure my hon. Friend that I and my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister continue to give the matter our close attention. We should welcome any constructive, positive and sensible suggestions from any quarter.
§ Mr. TrimbleIn considering the future governance of Scotland, is the Secretary of State considering the introduction of safeguards against political and religious discrimination to avoid controversy such as that in Monklands district at the moment?
§ Mr. LangI would certainly deplore the discrimination to which the hon. Gentleman refers. I am not aware that the problem is widespread in Scotland and I would not anticipate our measures being directed towards that end.
§ Mrs. EwingWhen does the Secretary of State expect to end the stock-taking exercise and when will he make a statement to the House to advise all of us and the people of Scotland about the improvements he envisages in the government of Scotland?
§ Mr. LangI am grateful to the hon. Lady for her eager anticipation of the outcome of the deliberations. We shall make an announcement as soon as we sensibly can. I am sure that the hon. Lady agrees that it is more important to get it right than to get it quickly.