Mundell vow to answer West Lothian question

Published on Tuesday 3 October 2006 11:56

SHADOW Scottish Secretary David Mundell today promised a Tory government would come up with an answer to the "West Lothian" question, but made clear it was not the biggest issue in British politics.

He told the Tory Conference in Bournemouth that work was going on to answer the problems thrown up by former Linlithgow MP Tam Dalyell about Scottish MPs at Westminster voting on domestic English issues like health, law and order and education.

He said: "We are committed to finding a 'constructive unionist' response to the West Lothian Question.

"But while the West Lothian Question is a problem, it is not a tragedy. It is not the only, or even the dominant, question in British politics.

"Scots, like everybody else in the UK, are concerned about health, education, jobs, pensions and the environment. These are the issues they want us to be talking about."

And picking up the theme of winning back Scotland highlighted by Mr Cameron in his exclusive interview with the Evening News yesterday, he said: "We have to do better - beginning with the Scottish elections next May - by making clear our commitment to devolution."