§ 3.12 p.m.
§ LORD CRAIGTONMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the first Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government which Scottish Minister, under the Secretary of State for Scotland, is responsible for consulting with Scottish local authorities on the action they take in implementing development plans.]
§ THE JOINT PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE FOR SCOTLAND (LORD HUGHES)My Lords, local authorities take action to implement the Government's plans for regional economic development in the various fields and services for which they have responsibilities. Consultations with them are undertaken by the appropriate Departments under the guidance of the responsible Ministers. Most of the services for which my right honourable friend the Secretary of State is responsible in this connection fall to the Scottish Development Department with which Dr. Mabon is the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State particularly concerned. That Department exercises a general oversight over the land use and town planning functions of the local authorities which are important in fitting together the local services needed to support economic growth. In so far as local authority services fall to the other Scottish Departments, any Scottish Office Minister may be involved in consultations with the authorities.
Naturally, we work as a team in this as in all our other activities, but in the present context I myself play a dual rôle. On the one hand, I assist my right honourable friend in his general task of co-ordinating the work of all the Government Departments concerned in the formulation and execution of regional plans for economic development; and, on the other, because of my special concern with agriculture, fisheries and forestry, I shall no doubt from time to time have occasion to 227 consult with local authorities and other bodies about the regional economic aspects of these subjects.
§ LORD CRAIGTONMy Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord for his reply, and I hope it is a little less bewildering to the local authorities than it is to me. Can he give me an answer to one example? If a local authority was worried about the provision of executive housing in connection with commercial development, would they seek the advice of the noble Lord or of his right honourable friend?
§ LORD HUGHESMy Lords, I have not the slightest doubt that, because of the team work of which I have spoken, if they came to either of us they would receive a perfectly satisfactory response.
§ LORD CRAIGTONMy Lords, I have no wish to frustrate the noble Lord in trying to help Scotland, but I think this arrangement is very untidy.
§ LORD HUGHESMy Lords, all I can say to that is that I cannot agree with the noble Lord.
THE DUKE OF ATHOLLMy Lords, may I ask the noble Lord which of the Ministers of the Scottish Office is particularly concerned with tourism in Scotland and the tourist development plans?
§ LORD HUGHESMy Lords, both Dr. Mabon and I are concerned with tourism.