§ Sir David SteelTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if, in his review of local government, he will give consideration to the establishment of an independent commission similar to that being proposed for local government south of the border.
§ Mr. LangI have, of course, given very careful consideration to this matter. I have concluded that the establishment of a commission of the kind which my right hon. Friend has in mind would not be the best or most appropriate way forward for Scotland, where we have a local government system which is less diverse and more coherent, where the scale of the task is very different, and where we already have 16 years' experience of unitary authorities in the islands.
My right hon. Friend proposes a commission which will advise him on changes in different parts of England, on a rolling programme: I do not see a need for a commission working in that way in Scotland. The absence of a commission will not, however, mean a less thorough consultative process in Scotland. We intend to start the consultative process within the next few weeks, by consulting on the broad principles which will underpin the new system.