§ Mr. Donald Stewartasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received from Ross and Cromarty County Council and the Scottish National Party for action to ensure that revenue accruing from Scottish oil will be diverted into the Scottish economy; and what replies he has sent.
§ Mr. Gordon CampbellI have received no direct representations from Ross and Cromarty County Council or the Scottish National Party on this subject.
Representations in this sense have been addressed to my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister by the Scottish National Party, and seven small burghs have written in support. Replies have pointed out that the estimates of revenue are grossly overstated; and that the Government are financing public works in Scotland related to oil development, as for other purposes, irrespective of the extent to which the share of Government expenditure in Scotland outruns the proportion of taxation receipts that could be attributed to Scotland on any precisely derived basis.