Scotland Bill

Debate between Baroness Laing of Elderslie and Brian H. Donohoe

Monday 14th March 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Donohoe]

I had the greatest respect for Phil Gallie, the former MP for Ayr, who was also a list MSP. He hated every minute of his time in the Scottish Parliament, because he knew that as a list Member, he had absolutely no powers. I will develop that argument later in my speech, but even Tory MSPs were opposed to the concept of the list system.

[Mrs Laing]

I understand that the hon. Gentleman’s argument is that the simple first-past-the-post system used in elections to Westminster produces a fairer result than other systems. Is he concerned that the introduction of the alternative vote for Westminster would undermine elections to this place, and therefore the legitimacy of this House of Commons?

[Mr Donohoe]

I am not sure that I want to wander down that road, because the hon. Lady is well aware that I am the joint chairman of the all-party group for the promotion of first past the post, and also the secretary of the relevant group in the Labour ranks. Indeed, last week I asked the Prime Minister a question about the matter and he agreed with me, which is a first. Members all know where I stand and where the campaign on first past the post is going.

Let us examine the situation as it stands. If I go to a health board meeting in Ayrshire, how many MSPs can turn up? Some 24 can turn up and be part of the debate. That is not a problem in itself, but some of those list Members represent areas outside Ayrshire. There is therefore immense conflict when decisions are taken about where health services for them and their constituents should be. I have seen that at first hand on at least a dozen occasions. As a consequence, I no longer go to those meetings. Instead, I sensibly insist on the health board meeting the MPs and constituency MSPs alone, instead of the nonsense of the cherry-picking that was and is going on among list Members north of the border.

Scotland Bill

Debate between Baroness Laing of Elderslie and Brian H. Donohoe

Thursday 27th January 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mrs Eleanor Laing (Epping Forest) (Con)]

It is always a pleasure to speak after the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire (Pete Wishart)—and sometimes at the same time as him. I always admire his passion and his genuine belief that he is doing the best thing for Scotland. I hope he does not mind me saying that his heart is in the right place, but unfortunately his head and his fiscal understanding are not.

The hon. Gentleman made some important points, particularly about tax-raising powers and the effect of this Bill. I was much perplexed by his response to my intervention a few moments ago. Whether the amount is £800 million or £600 million—or whatever the very large sum is that he and his party argue was spent in Scotland over the past decade but would not have been if the Bill had been in place—his answer was that that money came from the Scottish taxpayer. That is not correct: the money came from the UK taxpayer.

With equal passion, the hon. Member for Na h-Eileanan an Iar (Mr MacNeil), who has unfortunately just left the Chamber, begged a few moments ago that the people of Scotland should be protected from cuts. The people of Scotland cannot be protected any more than the people in the rest of the United Kingdom from the effects of 13 years of bad financial management of our country’s economy by the Labour Government.

[Mr Donohoe]

Oh come on now, Eleanor.

[Mrs Laing]

The hon. Gentleman seeks to disagree with me, in a mild way and from a sedentary position, but the facts speak for themselves. The country’s finances are in a mess. Yes, we all want to protect people in all parts of the country, but there is no argument for protecting Scotland to a greater extent than the rest of the United Kingdom.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mrs Laing]

It would be wrong to go back over arguments that we had more than a decade ago, but I stick to my point: it is necessary to make updates because of assumptions that were made then.

[Mr Donohoe]

Will the hon. Lady explain why, if the Labour party was so self-centred at that time, we allowed proportional representation?

[Mrs Laing]

I have never understood that and it is not for me to give the answer.

[Mrs Laing]

We are going back over old arguments now. I merely make the point that we always said that the devolution settlement would have to be improved and I strongly welcome the Bill, which does improve it.

The Calman commission is to be praised for the many years of work that were undertaken and for the careful and studied way in which its proposals were brought forward. This has not been a rushed job; I pay tribute to the previous Labour Government for setting the commission up and to the current Government for taking its recommendations forward. It has produced the right answers. By giving greater power to the Scottish Parliament, the Bill also gives a greater say to the Scottish people about how our democracy works. That is the most important point. It is right that greater power should require greater accountability and responsibility, as the Secretary of State has eloquently explained. If democracy is to work properly and if the people who vote and choose a Government are to be treated responsibly and have their opinions properly translated into action, it is very important that a Parliament such as the Scottish Parliament should not only be responsible for spending taxpayers’ money, but be held responsible, at least to some extent, for raising it.

I welcome the better clarification of the balance between devolved and reserved policy matters—those which ought to be taken at Holyrood and those which ought to be taken in this House. If we do not have that clarity, the whole constitutional settlement will lack the gravity I would like it to acquire, so the new clarity that comes from the Bill is very welcome.

I promise that when we scrutinise the Bill in Committee, it will, contrary to the assertions of the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire, be properly scrutinised, and I look forward to our scrutinising it in great detail. The best thing about the Bill and the changes it will make to the constitutional settlement is that it strengthens and entrenches Scotland’s position within the United Kingdom, which most people in the House and, I fervently believe, in Scotland want to see entrenched, protected and encouraged. Although this is 27 January and not 25 January, I hope I will be forgiven for invoking the bard, as this is the week that we celebrate our national poet, Rabbie Burns. I shall not quote his best-known works, which are often so badly misquoted south of the border.

[Mr Donohoe]

On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. I must correct the hon. Lady. Rabbie Burns was never known as Rabbie Burns. Rabbie, in Ayrshire parlance, is the village idiot: Robert was never known as Rabbie.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dawn Primarolo)]

We will take that as a point of clarification rather than a point of order.