asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received about the problems young people are facing in seeking jobs in the Scottish economy.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to help school leavers to find employment; and if he will make a statement.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the latest employment prospects for school leavers in Scotland.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment made a comprehensive statement on 29th June, which demonstrated the Gov- ernment's determination to deal with the serious problem of unemployment among young people. The new programme of opportunities for young people which he then announced will be of particular value to Scotland.

Does the Secretary of State recall the Secretary of State for Employment's statement that the work experience and training scheme was intended to prepare young people for permanent jobs at the earliest possible moment? Is not the earliest possible moment for many of the 75,000 unemployed young Scots a long way off, and perhaps even years away, unless there is a substantial and rapid reflation of the economy this year? Now that the reserves are in a far better position, is it not time to cut the shackles that the IMF has on us and to start to think about the interests of the Scottish working people for a change?

I note what the hon. Gentleman says. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment has said that the importance of the work experience scheme is that it gives experience of work and that one of the criticisms of the present schemes has been that there is not a sufficient link between those schemes and the actual world of work. The proposals that my right hon. Friend made last week remedied that criticism to a considerable extent.

I acknowledge the short-term and temporary benefit of the schemes that have been announced, but does not the Secretary of State acknowledge that, unless there is a permanent job available at the end of these schemes, it is simply disillusionment delayed for many young people? When can young people hope for a more permanent improvement in the economy that will mean that permanent jobs will be available for them?

I accept that the aim must be to have permanent employment, but we face a difficult situation now. All hon. Members have agreed that the proposals that my right hon. Friend announced last week made a substantial contribution to dealing with the temporary problem. With young people there is also a worry about structural unemployment. As I said in our debate on Monday, it is a problem faced not only by this country but by other countries. The schemes that were introduced last week are the most comprehensive set of proposals that, as far as I am aware, have been introduced by any country in Europe.

I accept that the Government have taken steps to deal with the unemployment of young people, but is the Secretary of State aware that he has said nothing that will encourage young people to feel that there is a real future for them in Scotland? Is the right hon. Gentleman also aware that there is a great danger that many will seek jobs elsewhere, as many Scots have done in the past?

Like the hon. Gentleman.

I accept that we want to reach as quickly as possible a situation in which jobs will be available on a permanent basis for all people in Scotland and not just for the young. However, this is a particular problem for young people and we have taken steps to deal with it.

Is the Secretary of State aware that the Employment Protection Act deters employers from taking on new labour, and will he consult his colleagues on its amendment?

If the right hon. Gentleman were more specific, I should be willing to consider it, but I cannot accept what he has said as a general proposition.

To some extent the argument is about whether reflation should be in the autumn or early next year, but as this has already been decided will the Secretary of State make sure that the questions of the Scottish economy and jobs for young people in Scotland are in the van of that reflation, because of the high unemployment rate in Scotland.

I want to see Scotland take full advantage of any prospect that may be available. However, the number of rather unpleasant economic decisions that the Government have had to take during the last couple of years are now paying considerable dividends and it would be a pity and a tragedy if this country were to give them away. I have always accepted that the unemployment problem, in a now generally encourag- ing economic position, is a black spot. I have never disguised my view on that.

Is the right hon. Gentleman not disturbed that after three years of his policies and despite the bonus to Scotland of oil-related jobs the number of unemployed has doubled in Scotland? Will he take seriously the point of the right hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr. Grimond) and discuss with employers in Scotland the fact that many of them have made representations to us that the Government's legislation, including the Employment Protection Act, and taxation policies discourage them from investing or employing people?

I frequently meet employers in Scotland and these points have not been put to me as being seriously disturbing to them. If there are specific difficulties about the Employment Protection Act, I and, no doubt, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment will be happy to consider them.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will re-examine teacher-pupil ratios now in force.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has any proposals to improve pupil-teacher ratios in Scotland.

My right hon. Friend does not consider that any further general improvement in pupil-teacher ratios, which are better than ever before, would be justified in present circumstances.

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that, due to the rigid enforcement of Circular 819 standards, 26 of the 50 urban primary schools in Dundee will have at least one composite class in the next session? Is he really telling us that this is an advance in educational provision? Would it not be far better to make available further finance to local authorities to enable them to take on some of the unemployed teachers who would be well employed in teaching our children?

We have taken on more teachers this year than last year. I do not deny that there is a serious problem of teacher unemployment. My right hon. Friend and I are extremely concerned about that, as we are about all unemployment, but we have more teachers in Scotland than ever before and the best pupil-teacher ratio ever. In present economic circumstances, it is extremely difficult to do anything more about pupil-teacher ratios.

The hon. Gentleman's reply reveals a scandalous degree of complacency. Is he aware that deprived children from deprived schools in Glasgow, a city that he represents, find it more difficult to get jobs than do children from other parts of the city? Is he aware that unemployment among school leavers in deprived areas is as high as 40 per cent.? Will he therefore take advantage of the surplus of teachers to do something about deprived children in deprived areas?

The hon. Gentleman asked several questions. Unemployment among school leavers has nothing to do with pupil-teacher ratios. The hon. Gentleman should look at the policy contained in the White Paper of the last Conservative Government. If they were still in power they would have stopped at 53,000 teachers. We have 55,000 teachers in secondary and primary schools. The hon. Gentleman cannot bring forward such arguments given the basis of the Conservatives' policy. My right hon. Friend has said more than once that he is looking anxiously at other possibilities. There is the possibility that local authorities will wish to use urban aid to employ extra teachers in deprived areas. No doubt some authorities will examine this possibility.

Could my hon. Friend publish the figures of pupil-teacher ratios in those parts of the West coast of Scotland that were desperately short of teachers two or three years ago? Could he also make an assessment of the extent to which the continuing shortage is the result of the EIS abandoning the designation scheme that gave a financial incentive to teachers to go to areas where they were desperately needed?

I could not agree more with my hon. Friend. The figures are published at regular intervals. I fully support everything that he said.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will pay an official visit to Blairgowrie.

My right hon. Friend has at present no plans to do so.

The hon. Gentleman will be aware that there are many pig farmers in Blairgowrie—[HON. MEMBERS: "And raspberries."] Yes, raspberries too. Does the hon. Gentleman agree that, by failing to implement their White Paper "Food from Our Own Resources", the Government have betrayed the pig farmers of Blairgowrie, Perth and East Perthshire and the whole of Scotland?

The whole House is aware of the inept parliamentary performance of the SNP this week. I resent the waste of public money involved in putting down silly Questions. If the hon. Gentleman wants an answer about pigs, let him table a specific Question.

If the hon. Gentleman is not going to Blairgowrie, will he consider visiting the SNP headquarters in Edinburgh and asking for a copy of the canvassers' manual, which is shortly to become a collector's piece? Is he aware that, according to reports this morning, all copies of the manual are to be withdrawn and turned into pulp? Will he join other hon. Members in pressing the SNP to pulp all its policy documents, in the public interest?

There is a serious point here. I object to civil servants having to undertake research and produce all sorts of information for a supplementary question that may or may not be asked. The information from our researchers is more accurate than that of the SNP.

Will the hon. Gentle man reconsider the decision not to go to Blairgowrie? Could he not go there and try to find one leading Scottish trade unionist or industrialist who believes that separation would have a beneficial effect for Scottish jobs?

I am a bit bewildered by all this. The Opposition joined forces with the SNP on Monday, and I understand that official approaches were made by the SNP in 1974, when it was apparently quite willing to join a Tory reactionary Administration.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he intends to take urgent action to ease the traffic congestion on the A75 and A76, and, in particular, the bottleneck at Dumfries.

Work is in hand on the Newton Stewart Bypass on the A75 and on the Newbridge diversion on the A76, and a further scheme at Auldgirth, on the A76, is out to tender. Preparatory work is proceeding on further improvement schemes to bypass communities on the A75. Measures to ease traffic congestion within Dumfries are for Dumfries and Galloway Regional Council.

Does the hon. Gentleman accept that it is not as easy as he makes out? Is he aware that the traffic bottleneck in Dumfries is probably the worst in Scotland and is aggravated by excessive container vehicle traffic from Ireland? When does he expect practical proposals on the ground for making a start towards alleviating the bottleneck and providing a ring road for Dumfries?

I am sure that the hon. Gentleman will be aware that in 1968 the then town council commissioned a study that recommended an inner relief road instead of a bypass, because the level of traffic was so low. The regional council is now updating the traffic information, but the results are not yet available. We shall consider the matter when the report is produced.

Did the Minister read the recent article in The Guardian about the situation in Glenluce? Did not a blush of shame rise on his countenance when he read the article? Is he aware of the effect that the article had on hotel bookings in Glenluce, and can he give some good news for the people of Glenluce, who have had to put up with so much?

I regret that I did not read that article.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will pay a visit to Laggan Locks.

My right hon. Friend has at present no plans to do so.

If the right hon. Gentleman is unable to go to Laggan Locks, will he at least assure us that he is aware of the widespread and informed concern about the state of the Caledonian Canal, in which the right hon. Gentleman has a direct interest in view of the investment of the Highlands and Islands Development Board and the need to ensure the free passage of fishing boats? Will he at least assure us that if he were approached he would be willing to use the good offices of the Scottish Office to see whether there would be any way of preventing a further prolonged closure of the canal such as that we are now suffering?

As the hon. Gentleman knows, this is a matter for the British Waterways Board. I have met pleasure craft owners, and so forth, on several occasions. We hope to have the canal fully operational by the first week of August. It is a massive job, costing a great deal of money, which has come from Government sources. In all the circumstances the organisations concerned with it have got on with the job as quickly as possible.

Will the Minister take the opportunity of going to Laggan Locks as quickly as possible to make a speech about reflation? Will he explain throughout the length and breadth of the Highlands that reflation is no more than a silly name for inflation, and that once we have reflation it will be followed in about two years' time by an increase in the rate of inflation?

The hon. Gentleman had better go to Laggan Locks himself. If he does, he will soon discover that there are barely enough folk there to whom to make a speech. Such is my right hon. Friend's appeal that he might draw a wider audience than that of the population of the area. He would certainly take ample opportunity to spell out the Government's view on the whole question of the reflation of the economy.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will investigate the criteria laid down by his Department in asking for tenders for the Kessock Bridge in 1975, in view of the fact that the present estimate is for £17·25 million despite inflation, as opposed to £30 million in 1975.

The design standards to be met in each case were the same except for minor adjustments to seismic loading, which had a negligible effect on costs.

If the design factors were very similar in each case, how does the roads department of the Scottish Development Department account for the difference in the tenders—of £30 million and £17·25 million—despite the fact that we have had two years of excessive inflation? Does he agree that it was a great mistake on the part of the Scottish Office not to ensure, when it sought offers in 1975, that the same steel supplier was employed by all tenderers? Would it not have been more realistic at that time to have prices for both a concrete and a steel bridge at the same time, and not to have lost two years as a result of delay?

I do not know what the hon. Gentleman is complaining about. The tenders were far too high in 1975 and we decided not to accept them. I should not care to speculate whether they were legitimately so high, but we had no intention of accepting what we thought were grossly excessive tenders.

Does the difference between the two figures mean that the Government now have £12¾ million extra to spend on roads? If that is so, will my right hon. Friend come with me on Friday to Turn-berry to see the urgent need for a bypass around Maybole and Girvan?

Obviously anything we save on one road makes money potentially available for something elsewhere, but the demands are already over-subscribed and I am not open to any further offers.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will consider holding an inquiry into tertiary (post-school) education in Scotland, with particular reference to ways of reducing the very high level of unemployment.

As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment announced in the House on 29th June, there will be a substantial contribution from the education service to the Government's new programme for unemployed young people. I am keeping other aspects of tertiary education under review and do not consider that an inquiry is necessary at present.

As the right hon. Gentleman is keeping other facets of this problem under review, does he agree that there is a case for having a full inquiry into post-school education in Scotland in future, in view of the heavy amount of unemployment there? Does he further agree that such an inquiry might serve a valuable purpose if someone with the stature of Lord Scarman were to head a review into all the facts and circumstances, with a view to reducing the shocking levels of unemployment in Scotland?

That is a rather interesting suggestion, but at present I see no case for a review. In the context of the Scotland and Wales Bill, the Government announced that in the post-devolution situation they would be anxious to see established in Scotland a Council for Higher Education, in respect of which the Assembly would play its part. We are pursuing this matter even in the pre-devolution situation, because it has met with a welcome in post-school education circles in Scotland. It is something that is well merited in its own right.

In view of that reply, will the right hon. Gentleman undergo some tertiary education himself and stop using absurd words such as "post-devolution" and "pre-devolution", which mean nothing?

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what response he has had to the community parents scheme.

I understand from Strathclyde Regional Council that it has so far received 22 firm applications from people interested in becoming community parents under this scheme.

I congratulate my hon. Friend on his initiative in starting this scheme, which I think is unique in Western Europe and which was even praised by the Prime Minister last week in a speech that he made in Wales. Will my hon. Friend ensure that adequate resources will be made available for existing List D schools, including well-run schools such as Geilsland School, in Beith? When will he visit that school?

I thank my hon. Friend for those kind remarks. I know that he has a keen interest in the Geilsland List D school. I know that he visits it regularly and has close contacts with the headmaster, the staff and the pupils. As he has made his request on a number of occasions, and as I know of the good record of Geilsland, I shall seriously contemplate visiting it in the Summer Recess.

As the Undersecretary of State has said that there have been 22 applications, will he on a future occasion give us a firm idea of the cost of the substantial advertising and organisation of the scheme?

When I initiated the scheme I was very conscious of the financial restrictions. Thanks to my right hon. Friend, we managed to get £20,000 for the project. Considering the possibility of 15 young people being involved, who would cost the State more than £100 a week if they were to remain in a List D school, the limited advertising money that has been spent on the project means that the Government are getting a good bargain financially as well as a social work return.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what action he intends to take about the steadily worsening unemployment position in Scotland.

We have already acted on a substantial scale through the various employment protection and creation measures, and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment anounced last week a further series of measures in respect of young people.

Does the right hon. Gentleman appreciate that in the broader context it is only in the area of the smaller business and the self-employed that we can really reduce unemployment, and that it is the type of legislation that has been referred to by my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow, Cathcart (Mr. Taylor), which makes such people feel that it is not worth the candle and makes them unwilling to take on any more staff, that is causing unemployment? Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the situation could be cured overnight if he would reduce that sort of legislation?

I do not accept that. A new experimental scheme for a small firm employment subsidy came into operation only last week. It will run for six months initially and, for manufacturing firms in special development areas employing fewer than 50 workers, for each additional worker taken on there will be a subsidy of £20 a week for six months. This is only one example of the various measures that we have taken to help small firms.

Is my right hon. Friend aware of the grave position in Kilmarnock arising from the decision by the American directors of the firm of Cranes to close down—[Interruption.] I am sorry that SNP Members are not interested in Kilmarnock. Is my right hon. Friend aware of the grave position arising from the decision to close down Glanfield and Kennedy, in Kilmarnock? Will he explain what the Government have been doing to seek to prevent that, what help was given from Cranes, and what they are doing now to mount a rescue operation?

In the first place, we had completely inadequate notice of the impending closure. Despite that, we have had discussions with a number of interested parties. There has been no viable proposal put to the Government so far. If we are able to get a viable proposal, or put one together ourselves with the interested parties, we shall be happy. Our efforts in that way are continuing and are not affected by the fact that a receiver was put in on Monday of this week. I resent some of the statements that have been made by the employer which suggest a lack of effort on the part of the Government. We have acted expeditiously and with a great deal of effort. In my opinion, there has not been enough help from the management.

Does the Secretary of State accept that the small firms subsidy scheme, which is welcome, is none the less of limited application and that he should be looking at the severe decline in the numbers of small businesses in Britain as a whole and in Scotland in particular? Will he take on board, for example, that the temporary employment subsidy does not apply to firms employing fewer than 10 people and that that is one specific example of discrimination against small firms that is harming that sector of industry?

I do not accept that there is discrimination against small firms. I have given an example of a scheme specifically designated to help them. Perhaps I may give another example. The Scottish Development Agency is putting a tremendous amount of effort into helping small firms. It is untrue, and should not be repeated, that the Government are discriminating against small firms.

Does the Secretary of State realise that his answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Perth and East Perthshire (Mr. Crawford), on an earlier Question, was an absolute disgrace? Does he further realise that literally thousands of jobs are at stake in the Scottish pig industry? What steps is he prepared to take to protect the Scottish pig industry from its present crisis?

The hon. Gentleman does not sound any better than his hon. Friend the Member for Perth and East Perthshire (Mr. Crawford).

Is my right hon. Friend aware that in order to cure unemployment it is necessary to sustain indigenous industry and to keep jobs already in existence as well as to create new jobs? Therefore, when, as I hope, he meets representatives from industry and the trade unions in the Aberdeen travel-to-work area, will he take account of the fact that many indigenous industries will be more badly hit than incoming firms, with the reduction from development area status to intermediate area status, and keep an open mind about ways in which the potential damage can be eradicated?

I note what my hon. Friend said. My right hon. Friend the Minister of State, together with the Minister of State, Department of Industry, is to meet a deputation from the Grampian area. There has been some misunderstanding about this matter. The change does not take place until 31st March 1978. Although plant and machinery grants will be lost, firms in the area will still be eligible not only for regional development grants but for other selective financial assistance under Section 7 of the Industry Act. There is still a tremendous amount of Government assistance potentially available in that area.

Is the Secretary of State aware that many people would be astonished to hear him say several times today that he is not aware that the Government's economic and legislative policies have been severely adverse to the profitability of many companies in Scotland? Does he not think that he is getting dangerously out of touch? Will he take advice on this matter from his advisers, the CBI, the chambers of commerce and, indeed, the SDA, because he will find that they are all at variance with what he said this afternoon?

I do not accept what the hon. Gentleman said. What I said is accurate. What he said is not accurate.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has for reducing unemployment in the Western Isles.

The Western Isles have already benefited considerably from the job creation programme and other employment protection measures we have introduced. They will be further helped by the new and more comprehensive package announced on 29th June. In addition, our regional policies and the wide powers of the Highlands and Islands Development Board are designed to bring permanent new employment to the area.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that I did not need my Question to be numbered 13 to anticipate that dusty answer, which is the same as his right hon. Friend has been giving me for months? Did the Minister take time off to see a recent television film about the Island of Harris, which pinpointed the deprivation in that area—one of the most hard-hit areas in Scotland? Will he have consultations with two of his hon. Friends who returned from the Western Isles last week and who have a good idea of the deprivation in the area and know what is required from the Government?

I did not have time to see the television film referred to by the right hon. Gentleman but I had an opportunity of listening to his speech the other evening in the House of Commons, during which I thought that he was less than gracious to the Highlands and Islands Development Board. The Board, set up by my right hon. Friend the Member for Kilmarnock (Mr. Ross)— and a fine man he is—has already spent £4 million on 500 projects involving 1,600 jobs in the Western Isles, £1½ million on individual projects of its own, and £150,000 on construction firms. The right hon. Gentleman ought to read page 17 of the book, which says that when replies are given Members should listen courteously, with interest, in a relaxed fashion, and not make derogatory remarks in any way.

If the Minister is considering the application of the new small businesses scheme, whereby subsidies are given for employing extra persons for six months, will he give a public warning that if any firm takes advantage of that scheme, employs any person for 26 weeks, and cannot afford thereafter to employ that person if the subsidy is withdrawn, it will have to pay damages for unfair dismissal? Will he also ensure that firms that are eligible for and have been given grants by the Highlands and Islands Development Board do not then set up branches in other areas to compete unfairly against them?

The hon. and learned Gentleman, together with some of his hon. Friends, has been less than fair to what the Government have done for small firms. My right hon. Friend earlier referred to one specific aspect. If the hon. and learned Gentleman cares to examine the Government's record in relation to small firms—I refer to financial help, consultancy services and a wide range of help provided by the SDA and the Highlands and Islands Development Board—he will find that it is not in accordance with the adverse comments that have been made.

Does the Minister appreciate that the disgraceful statement on transport recently made by the Government militates against the carrying on of any kind of economic activity in the Highlands and Islands? Will he use his influence to try to get the decision reversed?

The hon. Member made a minor contribution during the recent debate on shipping services to the Highlands and Islands. I indicated during that debate that the Government were reasonably generous in providing support for those shipping services.

Why have a record number of small firms gone bankrupt in the last few years?

The hon. Member misunderstands the situation. Firms do not always go to the wall because of Government legislation. The hon. Member will know from his experience that small firms are often swallowed up by bigger firms. Large firms are often the biggest enemies of small companies.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a White Paper on housing policy.

My right hon. Friend presented to Parliament on 28th June 1977 a consultative document entitled "Scottish Housing", which contains the findings of his review of housing policies and finance.

Is the Minister aware that we welcome many of the proposals, particularly those which point to the need for extra owner-occupation in Scotland? In that connection, will he give positive encouragement to local authorities that wish to offer council houses for sale to sitting tenants and at least set out the guidelines that he would accept from councils that wish to put forward such schemes?

I appreciate the general welcome for the Green Paper. I am not prepared to give a directive urging any local authority to consider selling council houses. It is all spelled out in the Green Paper. If local authorities submit schemes that form part of comprehensive housing plans, they will be considered in the context of those plans.

Regrettably, this seems to be the day of the non-answer. Is the Under-Secretary aware that 160,000 houses in Scotland are below accepted minimum tolerable standards? Is it true that he can give no date when those houses will be brought up to such minimum tolerable standards? If so, what kind of policy is that?

The hon. Gentleman is trying desperately hard to make an impression, and he is failing. The number of houses below the tolerable standard increased because there was a raising of what we considered to be the tolerable standard. I am not complacent about this matter. This is one of the biggest single problems in Scotland. I recognise that many houses below the tolerable standard are in rural areas. All I can say is that in the past many housing authorities—not Labour-controlled—should have built more houses.

Will my hon. Friend tell the House exactly how many, if any, houses would be made available as a result of selling municipal houses to tenants?

The selling of a council house does not add a single house to the housing stock. I see that hon. Gentlemen on the Opposition Benches agree. The selling of council houses does not make additional houses available and does not make any serious contribution to better housing in Scotland.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will make a statement on the working of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 1976, with particular reference to Sunday opening.

The new licensing boards were set up with effect from 1st July, and the first occasion on which they can consider applications for Sunday opening of public houses is their statutory meeting in October. First indications about the longer opening hours, introduced last December, show that they have not led to an increase in drink-related offences, but the previous evening peak of offences after 10 p.m. seems to have shifted to a peak after 11 p.m.

Will the Under-Secretary undertake to monitor the effect of Sunday opening in Scotland so that the statistics for drunkenness and other offences connected with drink are not lost among general statistics?

I thought that the hon. Member was going to say that this is one piece of Government legislation that has not affected business. The Government are considering the possibility of monitoring the effect of Sunday opening. At the moment we are analysing the result of a survey carried out in November last year and March this year.

It has been suggested that the peak of drink-related offences has shifted from 10 o'clock to 11 o'clock. Can the Minister be more specific? The experience in my area, which is fairly heavily populated with public houses, is that there is a more relaxed attitude to drink and that the spread of hours has led to fewer offences. Can the Minister give us some more detailed figures, if not today, at a later date?

The number of offences related to drink has dropped. The number of drink and driving cases has dropped by 20 per cent. The number of accidents where it is suspected that the driver has taken drink and there is, therefore, a policeman on the scene has also dropped by 20 per cent. People are taking a more relaxed approach to drink. This is one of the redeeming features of the Government's action to reform the licensing laws.

Is more, less, or just about the same amount of alcohol being consumed? Has the Minister included in the offences related to drink offences involving violence?

In the first three months of 1977 25 million gallons of beer were consumed. That is exactly the same as the amount consumed in the first three months of 1976. The latest figures are for a longer drinking period, taking account of the extended hours.

Does not the phrase "more relaxed attitude towards drink" accurately describe the situation? Have not the people of Scotland shown a more responsible attitude towards drink? Does that not bear out the fact that we in Scotland do not require a paternalistic attitude to be taken in matters such as this?

The hon. Member should not get too euphoric about the figures. The number of drink-related offences has decreased, and we are grateful for that, but they have decreased from very high levels. It would be wrong to suggest that we have solved the problem. We have not. No one should consider that we have solved any problems in this respect. I am prepared to amend my earlier answer and say that people are faking a more relaxed and responsible attitude towards drink. For this we axe grateful.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if, in view of the loss of more than 1,100 jobs at the Redpath Dorman Long yard in Methil and the possible redundancies in another factory in the area, he will make a statement on the current position following the representations made to him by the hon. Member for Kirkcaldy.

I understand that RDL is tendering for further platform orders. With regard to the factory referred to by my hon. Friend, officials have had discussions with the management but I cannot say more today.

Is my hon. Friend aware that the run-down at the Redpath Dorman Long yard has had a considerably adverse effect on the local economy. Can he say in which fields, other than Murchison, RDL is tendering for platforms? May we have an assurance that the Minister's Department will do everything possible to assist the employment situation in the other factory I have mentioned?

I concern myself with the situation that is arising at RDL. The firm is tendering for both the Murchison and Tartan fields. My hon. Friend in the Department of Energy is actively pursuing platform orders. The position of the factory itself is still the subject of discussion, as are one or two other applications to my right hon. Friend and myself. Tomorrow I am going to my hon. Friend's constituency to see Nairn Floors. It is encouraging to see an important Scottish firm having the confidence to expand in the way that this company is expanding.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will pay an official visit to Dunoon.

My right hon. Friend has at present no plans to do so.

If the Secretary of State cannot visit Dunoon in his ministerial capacity, perhaps he will do so as a tourist. If he does, will he bear in mind that the Scottish tourist industry has, in the last year or two, suffered a serious decline? In the absence of the Scotland and Wales Bill, will he take immediate steps to allow the Scottish Tourist Board to be independently represented abroad, in the hope that it can attract more tourists to Scotland?

My right hon. Friend has for a long time been concerned with tourism in Scotland. The grants made to the Scottish Tourist Board and the incentives that it has given are to be commended. The interests of Scottish tourism are adequately covered in all parts of the world.

Will my right hon. Friend take into account that some English tourists might have been put off by slogans on Scottish walls which read "English Go Home"?

My hon. Friend makes that point very neatly. I am sure that he heard my right hon. Friend the Member for Kilmarnock (Mr. Ross), in his important contribution to the debate on Monday, saying that that sort of nonsense and emotive stuff does no good for Scotland at all.

Will the Minister take note that the village of Blackford, in Perthshire, which serves the tourist industry, will cease to serve it if the present absurd proposal of the Scottish Development Agency to make it a one-entry/exit bottleneck is carried out?

My hon. Friend looks forward with keen anticipation to answering a specific Question on that subject, which is listed No. 22 on the Order Paper.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he next expects to meet the Scottish Trades Union Congress.

With my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer and other colleagues, I shall be meeting the STUC on 26th July.

As the trade union movement is currently under attack from the Tories over the Grunwick situation and from the SNP, which insulted the Scottish Trades Union Congiess at its recent party conference, will the Minister see to it that the Labour Government remember their loyalty to the trade union movement by, for example, paying more attention to the STUC's demands for a more Socialist economic strategy, which will help to provide jobs for the 170,000 unemployed in Scotland, especially school leavers?

I always pay attention to what the STUC puts to me.

Will the Secretary of State consider the possibility of providing additional incentives in special development areas? Does he appreciate that where there is between 12 per cent. and 16 per cent. unemployment, something further is required in these areas of exceptional difficulty?

The hon. Gentleman must have missed the announcement made by the Secretary of State for Industry last week about the special development areas, which has improved the incentives there.

Will the right hon. Gentleman tell his hon. Friend the Member for West Stirlingshire (Mr. Canavan) that the only party that has upheld the STUC view that there should be no further public expenditure cuts in Scotland is the SNP, and will he also tell him that we shall be looking very carefully to see how the hon. Member for West Stirlingshire votes if this ever comes up again?

I think that the STUC takes a very realistic view of the SNP—that is, that it considers it utterly useless.

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received within the last two months on the Government's commitment to set up a Scottish Assembly within the life of the present Parliament.

My right hon. Friend has received the Deliverance of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland on devolution. No other representations on this subject have been made to him during that period.

Is not the Minister being a little coy in glossing over the representations of the Scottish Council of the Labour Party on 10th June, to the effect that unless an Assembly is guaranteed Labour's credibility in Scotland will be totally compromised? How does he define that in terms of his own statement, two years ago, that the Assembly was bang on target, that elections would be held in 1976, and that the Assembly would be in being three or four months ago?

I am surprised that the hon. Gentleman is suggesting that the Scottish Council of the Labour Party made its representations to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State. He should know better than that. The representations were made to my right hon. Friend the Lord President of the Council. The hon. Gentleman's Question asked specifically about representations made to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State. The Government are committed in the next Session to introduce a Bill dealing with devolution for Scotland and Wales, and that is the Government's restated and firm commitment.

During the next General Election campaign, when the Scottish Assembly will already be in existence, what advice will my hon. Friend give to SNP canvassers in Stirlingshire?

If my hon. Friend is asking me to speculate about an SNP canvassing manual in West Stirlingshire, I should imagine that it would go something like this: "Don't vote for Canavan. He is a Communist", or to the Communists "Don't vote for Canavan. He is a Catholic". The Catholics would be told not to vote for Canavan because he had some other fault. At the end of the day, however, when the votes are counted, I think that we shall find that by far the vast majority of people have voted for my hon. Friend.

What are the Government's latest intentions with regard to holding a referendum on devolution in Scotland?

The Government's intentions on the holding of a referendum in Scotland were made perfectly clear during the Committee stage of the Scotland and Wales Bill, before the Bill was eventually withdrawn. The Government still remain committed to the principle of a referendum, but obviously not a pre-legislation referendum. That ought to be made perfectly clear.

Will the Minister confirm that the Prime Minister has now made this a confidence issue and that that gives it a far better chance than it had previously?

I am really just a junior Minister. I have no authority to speak for my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, who is well able to speak for himself.

asked the Lord Advocate how many official visits he has made to sheriff courts in 1977 to date.

None so far, but I have plans to make several visits in the near future.

Before his next visit, will the Lord Advocate tell us a little more about yesterday's announcement of the inquiry into the courts? Will it have the power to investigate the advisability of prosecuting pickets, in view of the farcical situation in England, where more than 200 people have been arrested at Grunwick, and in view of the fact that even the hon. and learned Member for Kinross and West Perthshire (Mr. Fairbairn) has been known to turn up at Glasgow Airport with his placard to join a picket line protesting about certain foreign visitors?

No doubt my hon. Friend has his own predilections for peaceful picketing, which he carries out successfully. In reply to the general question, the terms of reference of the committee that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I have set up were given in a Written Answer yesterday and will be referred to by me in reply to a later Question today.

Will the Lord Advocate's visits include visits to the sheriff courts in the Borders and, if so, will he say, then or now, whether the sheriff services in the Borders will continue in future to be on a residential basis or whether we shall be reduced to having itinerant sheriffs from Edinburgh?

The right hon. Gentleman is putting forward certain problems that I should look into, and I shall do so.

In the course of his visits to the sheriff courts, will the Lord Advocate look out for those that have the capacity to deal with divorce actions, and make early arrangements for the transfer of jurisdiction to those courts in order to save considerable expense both to the litigants concerned and to the legal aid fund?

The hon. Gentleman knows that this is a matter that has been very fully discussed in the House. He has already had very full replies to questions about these problems. However, I take note of them.

asked the Lord Advocate how many prosecutions for unlawful picketing his Department has initiated in Scotland in the last seven years.

During the past seven years by Department has initiated many prosecutions of persons who committed common law offences, such as assault, breach of the peace or malicious mischief, during situations which could be loosely termed as "picketing". Precise figures are not available.

Does the Lord Advocate appreciate that I appreciate that reply? Will he, great lawyer as he is, confirm that he will not feel in any way bound by or that he is not in any way likely to imitate the attitude of the Attorney-General in England, who has made the pronouncement that one may suspend prosecution because of a threat of industrial action? Will he ensure that the law is prosecuted whenever a criminal offence is committed, whatever other considerations there may be?

In so far as the hon. and learned Gentleman has implied a criticism of the learned Attorney-General, I do not associate myself with it. The hon. and learned Gentleman will be aware that the offices of Lord Advocate and Attorney-General are entirely separate and independent, and are governed by entirely different conventions, although obviously there is an area of community between the two offices. I can give the assurance in general that any report of alleged offences in this area would be considered by me for possible prosecution on the same basis as any other alleged crime.

asked the Lord Advocate when he intends to raise prosecutions against drivers of goods vehicles in Scotland accused of offences against the Road Traffic Acts who have in the past avoided appearance in court on account of domicile in Northern Ireland.

Procurators fiscal do bring prosecutions against this category of drivers. In the vast bulk of road traffic offences, prosecutions are brought by serving a summary complaint on the accused person by post. In deciding whether or not to commence a prosecution by this means, procurators fiscal apply the same considerations in the case of persons domiciled in Northern Ireland as they do in the case of persons domiciled in other parts of the United Kingdom. With regard to persons domiciled in Northern Ireland, however, postal service carries no enforceable legal sanction.

Will the Lord Advocate accept my appreciation of his work in the Criminal Law Bill to stop this loophole, which has caused much heartburning in Dumfries and Galloway? Will he further appreciate that the local residents and tourists are living a very hazardous life because of the standard of driving of some of the container lorry drivers from Ireland, and that anything that he can do about it will be much appreciated in the area?

I am grateful for the hon. Gentleman's comments. This is a difficult problem, in which prosecution plays only a limited part.