§ Mrs. Winifred Ewingasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will seek to abolish one tier of Scottish local government what representations he has received to do so; and what replies he has sent.
§ Mr. William RossNo. Apart from one such representation—from one of the hon. Lady's parliamentary colleagues—to210W which I replied, the right hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr. Grimond) has also corresponded with my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister. The replies have pointed out that the present local government structure—introduced after extensive discussions and consultations—should be given time to settle down before judgments are passed; and that in the longer term it is proposed that the future structure of local government should be a matter for the Scottish Assembly.
Three letters making similar representations have been received from members of the public, in response to the Government's invitation of views on the Devolution White Paper, and have been acknowledged.