Mr Barry Henderson: How much have the Government expended in capital expenditure in Scottish prisons in recent years? How does it compare with the record of the previous Government to improve accommodation in Scottish prisons?
Mr Barry Henderson: asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement about the relative prosperity of Scotland compared with the rest of Great Britain.
Mr Barry Henderson: Does this not show that a Conservative Government are good for the Scots, especially since, under this Government, those who depend upon health, social and other vital services such as education receive more per head of the population in Scotland than they do south of the border?
Mr Barry Henderson: Does my right hon. and learned Friend accept that the vast majority of honest and patriotic people who pay their licence dues to the BBC expect the Government—and, indeed this House—to support those whose duty it is to protect this country's national security? Does he agree that it would surprise many of those licence holders to find that the BBC, instead of doing its level best to...
Mr Barry Henderson: Does the north-east Fife district still hold the record for being the Scottish district council which has enabled the greatest number of its tenants to buy their own homes? If so, does that mean that more funds are available to meet today's housing needs for those who wish to remain tenants?
Mr Barry Henderson: Will my hon. Friend accept that many of us feel that the Government were absolutely right to take the line that they have taken? Although it may not be ideal, it is infinitely better than the line recommended by STEAC, and it was supported by the Liberal party, because the hon. Member for Gordon (Mr. Bruce) told the EIS that it was in favour of maintaining the majority of education centres in...
Mr Barry Henderson: Has my right hon. Friend noticed that the Opposition parties are keen to debate subjects, such as South America, Africa and Asia, but banded together to avoid having a discussion about agriculture and fisheries in Scotland on Monday? Can he give an early date when we may be able to discuss that?
Mr Barry Henderson: Does my hon. Friend agree that there is a slight similarity between the position of Liberal Members on this issue and their position on council housing? They seem to be in favour of council house sales in principle, but not in practice, and here they seem to be in favour in principle of getting rid of domestic rates, but they produce an impossible method in practice.
Mr Barry Henderson: I have been following closely my hon. Friend's argument, and clearly he is extremely knowledgeable. However, has he not underestimated the problem of collecting local income tax from small business men? Presumably, the party advocating local income tax envisages it for the whole of the United Kingdom, so there will be not just the 56 local authorities in Scotland, but the 400-odd in England...
Mr Barry Henderson: I am not quite sure whether the right hon. Gentleman is advocating a revaluation in England or whether he is saying that there should not be one because it would be so awful.
Mr Barry Henderson: It was entertaining to listen to the hon. Member for Kilmarnock and Loudoun (Mr. McKelvey). As he worried about the effect on Scotland of fewer Conservative Members than there were when we had more than half the votes of the Scottish people, I could not help but reflect that since the hon. Member for Glasgow, Garscadden (Mr. Dewar) sat down there has been no Labour Member in the Chamber who...
Mr Barry Henderson: Manchester is even further away. The hon. Member for Kilmarnock and Loudoun spoke of the difficulties of valuation. I should have thought that that would be a benefit of the Bill. The sudden changes that valuation can create in the amount that people must pay towards local government is one reason why many people want to have the rating reform offered in the Bill. The hon. Gentleman said...
Mr Barry Henderson: I do not wish to take up too much time going over ground that has been gone over well, especially by the hon. Member for Cunninghame, South (Mr. Lambie), who, in every debate until this one—I have not seen him trying to catch your eye, Mr. Deputy Speaker—
Mr Barry Henderson: I am glad that I gave way to the hon. Gentleman. Since I came to the House in 1974, I have heard him make that speech. It is a good speech. He was much more eloquent than I could hope to be in explaining why the rating system is discredited. The hon. Gentleman has said it consistently and with great passion year in and year out. He has gained the respect of hon. Members on both sides of the...
Mr Barry Henderson: The hon. Gentleman appeared by his use of the word "you" to refer to Mr. Deputy Speaker, but I do not want to bring Mr. Deputy Speaker into my equation. The hon. Gentleman misunderstands me. I did not say that there is no inequality between Scottish and English sports grounds, because there is. However, my point is that there are also inequalities within Scotland. It is not just a question...
Mr Barry Henderson: The hon. Gentleman has just asked who will be the gainers. Three quarters of households will be gainers, or at least will be no more than £1 a week worse off. That is the overall effect of gainers and losers. As I said earlier in an intervention, I believe that everyone will benefit from better local government which has a greater concern to provide better value for money. At the end of the...
Mr Barry Henderson: It is not nonsense, it is a fact. If the right hon. Gentleman can recall the time when he was Secretary of State for Scotland, he will remember that Fife regional council then was a lot more responsible, yet he chopped a lot more of its budget than any Secretary of State for Scotland has done under this Government. He will remember the 6,000 fewer staff in Scottish local government—the...
Mr Barry Henderson: Is not one of the attractive possibilities that might emerge from the community charge the fact that fairly high-spending local authorities, such as Edinburgh now, and Lothian not so long ago, will exercise a more responsible role than in the past? All ratepayers in Edinburgh are likely to benefit, not just those whose addresses the hon. Gentleman refrained from giving.
Mr Barry Henderson: Is the hon. Gentleman not arguing against the existing system of domestic rates? He is postulating the idea of two people living in the same kind of house in different parts of the city who, although they have substantially different means, pay substantially different amounts for identical services, so that the better off pays less and the poorer pays more.
Mr Barry Henderson: Will my right hon. and learned Friend put into perspective the gripes of Labour Members? The Labour Government who claimed to care cut the hospital building programme in Scotland by 30 per cent. when they were in office. Will he accept my congratulations on introducing proposals that will benefit several areas of Scottish life, especially health, education and housing? Does he recognise that...