Mr Douglas Crawford: I am trying to put it on record—I do not wish to go into detail about what the hon. Member for Central Ayrshire said—that the SNP is in favour of developments at Hunterston.
Mr Douglas Crawford: The hon. Member for Renfrewshire, West (Mr. Buchan) has not been present for very long.
Mr Douglas Crawford: I am not giving way; I am trying to start my speech.
Mr Douglas Crawford: We would not have been debating this matter today—
Mr Douglas Crawford: I only wish that the people of Scotland could be here to see this performance. I understand the Labour Party's difficulties, because they are bound to suffer at the hands of the SNP at the next election. I would not have mentioned this point had it not been for the barracking in my speech. The hon. Member for Central Ayrshire has been urging the Labour Government to take action, but they have...
Mr Douglas Crawford: No. The hon. Gentleman has not been in the Chamber for much of the debate.
Mr Douglas Crawford: No. I shall not give way. Time is short. The Scottish Council also said—it is not an SNP front organisation— that for the present and short run, Scottish steel output should be maintained at not less than its traditional proportion of steel production and, on completion of current developments, Scotland's output should be at least 15 per cent, of total BSC steel-making output in...
Mr Douglas Crawford: I am delighted to hear that. I am delighted that that is on the record. Reference has already been made to Glengarnock. The story can be repeated throughout the rest of Scotland. I turn to the point made by the Daily Record on 24th November 1977. I hope that the hon. Member for Central Ayrshire, although he is not totally on my side, will take note. James Rutterson, who is employed at...
Mr Douglas Crawford: I shall give way a little later.
Mr Douglas Crawford: I am quoting from the Daily Record of 24th November. I am quoting what was said by Mr. Rutterson and Mr. Bowman.
Mr Douglas Crawford: I do not know what relevance that has to the comments made by the two gentlemen whose comments were reported in the Daily Record.
Mr Douglas Crawford: I accept that the Secretary of State and the Minister of State are aware of the social consequences. However, I am not sure whether that can be said of the right hon. Member for Leeds, North-East (Sir K. Joseph), bearing in mind the contents of his speech in opening the debate on behalf of the Opposition. I am afraid that what now confronts us is what the centralised management of the steel...
Mr Douglas Crawford: I am interested in the hon. Gentleman's question. His right hon. Friend the Member for Leeds, North-East said that he wanted to cut back. Which steelworks would the Tories back? The hon. Member for Paisley (Mr. Robertson) said on the Third Reading of the Scotland Bill—it was a moving speech—"Let our people go". I extend that to steel. I say that we should let the Scottish steel industry...
Mr Douglas Crawford: Will the Secretary of State give the go-ahead for making the whole of the A74 between Glasgow and Carlisle a motorway? How many more lives have to be lost before that is done?
Mr Douglas Crawford: asked the Secretary of State for Industry when he next intends to meet the Chairman of the British Steel Corporation.
Mr Douglas Crawford: I realise that I am opening something of a Pandora's box with this Question, but may I say to the right hon. Gentleman that I certainly do not—
Mr Douglas Crawford: Without sharing the synthetic indignation of the Conservatives over the difficulties which the Secretary of State is experiencing over BSC—my party has a certain amount of sympathy with him over the Conservatives' hypocrisy in this matter—may I ask him to give a categorical assurance that a start will be made by 1980 on the fully integrated steelworks at Hunterston, and will he also give...
Mr Douglas Crawford: Is the hon. Gentleman aware of the severe difficulties being faced by the textile industry in my constituency as a result of the threat posed by the Common Market to the temporary employment subsidy?
Mr Douglas Crawford: asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next intends to meet the President of the EEC.
Mr Douglas Crawford: Would the Foreign Secretary and the EEC President agree at that meeting that no candidate for election to the European Parliament should be elected unless he or she gains at least 40 per cent. of the votes of the total electorate—I repeat, the total electorate?