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programme would be unacceptable.

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The burden on Parliamentary

time from Scottish legislation was limited because of the Scottish Grand and Standing Committee procedures. It would be very difficult to explain a failure to legislate on reform of the Scottish legal profession next session and he could not agree that legislation on war crimes, for example, should have priority over the Scottish Bill. The inclusion of only one Scottish Bill in the programme would also open the way to those Who had argued the need for a separate Scottish legislature. So it had been possible to resist that argument on the basis of Westminster's excellent record in dealing with Scottish

sation, including law reform measures. That defence would longer be available if next session's programme was reduced to only one Scottish Bill.

THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR TRANSPORT said that the Highways and Transport Private Finance) Bill was also of high priority. The Government had derived great credit, not least among its own supporters its proposals to introduce private finance into road building. Private sector confidence in the Government's intentions and odd faith would be seriously damaged if a Bill was not introducext session. Proposals for the Birmingham North Relief Road scheme were currently being prepared on the basis that the BMI old go ahead. A hybrid Bill would be required to pursue the project, which would be exploited by the scheme's opponents and would itself cause Parliamentary handling problems. The street ties provisions of the proposed Bill would also be popular, and mach needed.

In discussion, the following man points were made:

a.

Parliamentary debates op the report of the War Crimes Inquiry were to take place the autumn. They could be expected to reveal strong oppoetien, both inside and outside Parliament, to the proposals legislation on this subject. It was certainly desirable that legislation on war crimes should not take priority over other Bills in the Government programme. On the other hand, the inquiry report had said that any legislation should be enacted quickly and there were also very strong feelings favour of legislation. While it might not be dest

destaple to give

priority to a War Crimes Bill, it would be difficult to decide definitely to postpone it ahead of the parliamentary debates.

b. The constitutional and political arguments advanced by the Secretary of State for Scotland for accommodating two Scottish Bills in the programme were very strong.Failure to do so would provide ammunition for nationalist and ot critics of the Government.

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