Oral Answers to Questions — Scotland – in the House of Commons am 12:00 am ar 6 Chwefror 1991.
Mr Russell Johnston
, Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber
12:00,
6 Chwefror 1991
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he will next attend a meeting of the European Council of Ministers.
Mr Ian Lang
, Galloway and Upper Nithsdale
I am ready to attend a meeting of the Council of Ministers whenever the circumstances require it.
Mr Russell Johnston
, Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber
It would be interesting to know how often in recent times the circumstances have required it—quite often, I should have thought. Is the Secretary of State aware that all the German Lander and many of the regions of France and Spain maintain separate offices in Brussels? Does he agree that that is to their advantage? Why does not the Scottish Office do likewise?
Mr Ian Lang
, Galloway and Upper Nithsdale
As the hon. Gentleman probably knows, comparisons between Scotland, as part of the United Kingdom, and the Länder of Germany are irrelevant and spurious. In the European Community, Scotland's interests are very well represented through the United Kingdom's representative organisations. The hon. Gentleman may like to know that since 1979 Scotland has derived no less than £1·3 billion of benefits under various European schemes. That is six times as much as Denmark has received.
An informal reference to the Council of the European Union.
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
