Mr William Ross: There are quite a number of Bills that the Government hope to proceed with and get Royal Assent for. Can my right hon. Friend reassure us about the Industry Bill, which has been through all stages in this House and is presently in another place? Can we be assured that it will reach the statute book?
Mr William Ross: Is the Prime Minister aware that I wish him well, but I"hae ma doots "? For a number of years we have waited publicly for a clear declaration from the official Opposition as to their policy on devolution. It would be helpful to Scotland and, indeed, to the United Kingdom if the official Opposition could come clean with the people and with this House as to where they stand. Will the Prime...
Mr William Ross: Does my right hon. Friend accept that the fact that all the questions have been on the CAP demonstrates a weakness of the Common Market? Was there any discussion at all, on the economic and development side, in respect of regional policy? Is he aware that we in the West of Scotland are very concerned about the activities of multinational companies—particularly firms such as Massey...
Mr William Ross: Is my right hon. Friend aware that most Scottish MPs sitting behind him at least applaud his decision to take some time over this matter? Will he remind the Leader of the Opposition that the "Yes" side actually won? Can my right hon. Friend think of any major Act of Parliament in this Parliament or any other Parliament in the last 20 years that could withstand successfully a well and...
Mr William Ross: I make no apology for troubling the House at this hour of the morning, because I am concerned, as are all those in my constituency, about the serious employment position in the Kilmarnock area. Kilmarnock is—I stress" is "—the industrial heart of the Ayrshire area. It always has been, and to my mind it will get over the present difficulties and remain so. But we must face the dismal fact...
Mr William Ross: Does my right hon. Friend realise that, although these plans are welcome, the unemployment rate in that area is even higher than it is in Kilmarnock?
Mr William Ross: Are we taking the rate support grant order for Scotland as well as that for England and Wales on Wednesday? If so, will the Leader of the House ensure, Just for a change that the Scottish order is taken first?
Mr William Ross: I agree with my right hon. Friend about what has been done, but does he appreciate that this is a changing situation? Is he aware that proposals are being discussed which could mean bad news for Kilmarnock and central Ayrshire and extending as far as the Doon valley, where 1,100 jobs at Massey Ferguson are at stake? May I have the assurance from my right hon. Friend that he, the Secretary of...
Mr William Ross: Bearing in mind the precedent of the EEC referendum, is it the intention that this House—my hon. Friend can pass this question on to my right hon. Friend the Lord President if he is unable to answer it himself—should be in recess for a few days to allow us all to go all out for a "Yes" vote?
Mr William Ross: And take your hands out of your pockets.
Mr William Ross: That is because I had his election addresses.
Mr William Ross: One should be careful about what one says in this House. The last time I spoke, on 17th July, I suggested that it might well be my last speech. But only yesterday I met Lord Muirshiel, the former Secretary of State for Scotland, and he reminded me that when I made my maiden speech he congratulated me on it and hoped that he would hear me again. He said that he never regretted any speech more...
Mr William Ross: Yes, in Scotland. I remind the hon. Gentleman that we asked his party to come and see us about this, but it did not come. It did not have a word to say.
Mr William Ross: No, it did not know what to say, because the Conservative Party was still stuck with a thing called "the Declaration of Perth". Even before we debated the White Paper, the right hon. Member for Sidcup (Mr. Heath) said that the Conservative Party had a clear-cut policy for devolution and for a legislative Assembly. That was the cause of all the trouble, and that is why certain Conservative...
Mr William Ross: I am dealing with the amendment. It was said that majorities in other places, be it Wales, Scotland or England, accepted this because it applied to everyone. That is not true. For 50 years Members of Parliament from Stormont dealt with Bills which included the words "This Bill does not apply to Northern Ireland." There were eight Departments of Government in Northern Ireland, including...
Mr William Ross: The amendment refers only to Second Reading. Let us suppose that there are some Scottish Members serving on that Committee.
Mr William Ross: It comes back here for a Second Reading that is subject to certain procedures, which are not the same in Scotland. There are all sorts of sillinesses within the amendment. What could be more fatuous than the idea of waiting for a fortnight and taking another vote? I have always accepted that there were problems in this regard, but this is not the
Mr William Ross: Will my right hon. Friend appreciate that there is an element of courage in this decision, and will he accept from me that it was the right decision? Never has a country depended more on a fair and efficient police force for the maintenance of law and order than this country does at the present time. I think that it is regrettable that the right hon. Member for Penrith and The Border (Mr....
Mr William Ross: I understand the reluctance of another place to tell us how to conduct our business here. If the Lords were to develop some system under which they could divide the sheep from the goats, or the Scots from the English and Welsh, and if they were to suggest that it was a tightly drawn matter, they could have a second vote. But we know that the people in another place are not Scots, Irish or...
Mr William Ross: This test will apply only in a matter of contention. I cannot see anything being all that contentious in another place, although we all know that this has happened in the past. I can remember a Tory Government who received an amendment from the other place and who insisted on amending it and returning to a form of words that was even worse, and a provision which had never been discussed. I...
