§ 10. Mr. McKelveyTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will report progress on the consultations regarding future local government of Scotland.
§ Mr. LangI am very encouraged by the substantial public response to our second consultation paper on local government structure. More than 15,000 copies of the consultation paper and more than 70,000 shorter leaflets have been issued. The consultation period continues until the end of January next year.
§ Mr. McKelveyThe Secretary of State either forgot or deliberately did not mention subsidiarity. When he gets from the Prime Minister a definition of subsidiarity, will he relate with clarity to Charity McGarrity from Inverarity that she will not have subsidiarity, but that she, like the rest of Scotland, will have to remain in the mode of subserviarity? Does he realise that that breeds subversivarity? [Laughter.]
§ Mr. LangI am glad that the hon. Gentleman's question was greeted with hilarity by his colleagues. I must remind him that his original question was about the consultation paper on local government reform, but his supplementary had nothing to do with that. Nevertheless, I hope that he will read the consultation paper and let me have his thoughts ahead of our decision.
§ Sir Anthony DurantWould my right hon. Friend care to comment on the press reports about the conduct of Monklands council which I understand is in the constituency of the Leader of the Opposition?
§ Mr. LangI do not think that I want to pry into that private grief. I am happy to leave that to the Leader of the Opposition and the shadow Secretary of State.