HL Deb 27 June 2002 vol 636 cc1499-500
Lord Tebbit

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the Secretary of State for Transport is responsible for transport policy in his own constituency.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

My Lords, Schedule 5 to the Scotland Act 1998 sets out the division of transport responsibilities. The reserved functions for which the Secretary of State for Transport is responsible include transport safety and regulation, such as for the railways and aviation, some aspects of road traffic regulation, such as vehicle standards, and transport security.

Lord Tebbit

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord for that Answer, which might have been broadly and more shortly expressed as, "No, not in most cases". Is not this the West Lothian question incarnate? The English and Welsh electorate have policies imposed on them by Scots members of the Cabinet—to whom they have given no authorization—which do not apply to Scotland.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

My Lords, I try to be more helpful than just saying, "Not in most cases". I thought it would be useful to set out the responsibilities that the right honourable Member for Edinburgh Central holds. There have been Scottish Secretaries of State for Transport before. Sir Malcolm Rifkind was Secretary of State for Transport from 1990 to 1992, at a time when a considerable number of transport responsibilities were held by the then Scottish Office.

The Earl of Mar and Kellie

My Lords, does the Minister agree that the West Lothian question is an acceptable constitutional anomaly, that the noble Lord, Lord Tebbit, has found a somewhat halfhearted example, that the West Lothian question is a balancing measure for historical offences against Scotland and that it will be partially resolved by devolution in England? Finally, will the Minister confirm that today's United Kingdom is Scotland's finest achievement?

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

My Lords, I am not sure which two of those questions I am supposed to answer. I understand that if there are more than two, I have a choice. It is interesting that since the passage of the Scotland Act 1998, there has been very little reference to the West Lothian question. The arrangements seem to have bedded down particularly well. We have maintained the position that there are not two classes of Member of Parliament. Everybody is to be congratulated on that.

Lord Elton

My Lords, I have a supplementary West Lothian question. What is the proportion of Scots to other nationalities in the Cabinet of the United Kingdom and what is the proportion of Scots to other members of the population of the United Kingdom?

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

My Lords, I am not aware that Scots is a nationality. It does not say so on anybody's passport.

Lord Faulkner of Worcester

My Lords, does my noble friend agree that those of us who take an interest in transport issues will regard ourselves as fortunate to have such a talented and imaginative Secretary of State as Alastair Darling, as the Statement on Railtrack later this afternoon will show?

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

My Lords, I am sure that the whole House will agree wholeheartedly with my noble friend.

Lord Strathclyde

My Lords, when the noble Lord uses the comparison between Alastair Darling and Malcolm Rifkind, he is clearly losing the argument. Devolution has entirely changed the process between the Scotland Office and the Scottish Parliament. Is not the real reason why Mr Darling has been given the job that his parliamentary seat is about to be done away with under the redrawing of the boundaries? This is all about seeking to ingratiate himself in England so that he can get a seat in England.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

My Lords, Alastair Darling has been a first class member of the Government since 1997. He does not need to ingratiate himself with anybody.

Lord Borrie

My Lords, is there any case for restricting the Prime Minister's choice of Secretary of State for Transport in the way in which the Question implies?

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

My Lords, none whatsoever.

Lord Roberts of Conwy

My Lords, is it not abundantly clear in this mêlée of talk that the Cabinet could certainly do with an infusion of sensible Welsh blood?

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

My Lords, my noble and learned friend the Lord Privy Seal has answered that sotto voce. He agrees with the noble Lord, Lord Roberts.

Lord Swinfen

My Lords, are there any proposals to compensate Members of the other place who may lose their seats as a result of doing away with a number of the seats in Scotland?

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

My Lords, we are not just getting away from the original Question; we are two steps away from it. I do not know the answer.

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