Governing Scotland: The Invention of Administrative Devolution PDF
Preview Governing Scotland: The Invention of Administrative Devolution
Governing Scotland Also by James Mitchell CONSERVATIVES AND THE UNION STRATEGIES FOR SELF-GOVERNMENT SCOTLAND DECIDES (co-author) POLITICS AND PUBLIC POLICY IN SCOTLAND (co-author) Governing Scotland The Invention of Administrative Devolution James Mitchell Department of Government University of Strathclyde, Glasgow UK © James Mitchell 2003 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2003 978-0-333-74323-2 All rights reserved.No reproduction,copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced,copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright,Designs and Patents Act 1988,or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency,90 Tottenham Court Road,London W1T 4LP. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published 2003 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Houndmills,Basingstoke,Hampshire RG21 6XS and 175 Fifth Avenue,New York,N.Y.10010 Companies and representatives throughout the world PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave Macmillan division of St.Martin’s Press,LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. Macmillan® is a registered trademark in the United States,United Kingdom and other countries.Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European Union and other countries. ISBN 978-1-349-41012-5 ISBN 978-0-230-80004-5 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/9780230800045 This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Mitchell,James,1960– Governing Scotland:the invention of administrative devolution/ James Mitchell. p.cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-349-41012-5 1.Great Britain.Scottish Office– History.2.Decentralization in government – Scotland – History.3.Scotland – politics and government – 19th century.4.Scotland – Politics and government–20th century.I.Title JN1231.M58 2003 320.9411—dc21 2003045686 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 This book is dedicated to my Aunt Margaret Boath, Margaret and Sarah Paterson and to my late Uncle Alex This page intentionally left blank Contents List of Tables viii Preface ix 1. Introduction 1 2. The Origins of the Scottish Central Administration 11 3. Settling Down to Business 29 4. Educational Administration 50 5. Administering Agriculture, Health and the Highlands and Islands 74 6. MacDonnell, the Boards and the 1928 Act 92 7. The Reorganisation Debate and Gilmour 117 8. The Origins and Development of the Goschen formula 149 9. Scottish Office Ministers 182 10. Conclusion 207 Notes 216 Bibliography 246 Index 254 vii List of Tables 4.1 Meetings of the Committee of the Privy Council on Education in Scotland 51 4.2 Numbers and ranks of SED Staff based in Edinburgh, 1908 and 1912 69 5.1 Comparison of Scottish and English/Welsh rates 77 7.1 Edinburgh offices, addresses and staff, 1923 125 8.1 Population of United Kingdom by constituent nation 152 8.2 Goschen losses, 1892–94 156 8.3 Goschen loss/gain, 1894–96 156 8.4 Local taxation (Scotland) Account, Financial Year ending 31 March 1901 160 8.5 Comparison of grants for Scottish and English and Welsh Education, 1901–02 165 8.6 Comparison of figures used by Mr D.M. Wilson at Oban EIS Congress on 18, April 1911 with those of Accountant’s Report for 1908–09. Selective Examples from table 167 8.7 Percentage which receipts from Exchequer bear to total in various years, prepared by SED including Local Taxation monies, 11 April 1923 171 8.8 Percentage which receipts from Exchequer bear to total in various years, prepared by SED excluding Local Taxation monies, 11 April 1923 171 8.9 Expenditure per head of population from public funds using 1921 census 172 8.10 Note Marked ‘confidential’ initialled R.T.H. (Hawkins), 23/3/26 173 8.11 Statement of services in Scotland to which the Goschen formula applies with expenditure on those services in the financial years, 1930–34 179 9.1 Background, incumbencies and future offices of Scottish Secretaries, 1885–1939 184 viii Preface In 1980, in a bibliographical essay, it was noted that though the Scottish Office was the ‘most influential institution in Scotland’ it was ‘among the least analysed’.1This is remarkable not least because it was the focus of much political activity in Scotland. There have been two books on the history of the Scottish Office. The first was published in 1957 as part of a series on Whitehall Departments and written by Sir David Milne, then Scottish Office Permanent Secretary.2 The other was written by John Gibson, a retired Scottish Office civil servant who had been commis- sioned to write it in celebration of the Office’s centenary.3Despite peren- nial debates on Scotland’s constitutional status there was little academic consideration of this key institution despite the fact that its importance was recognised in a number of works. For those interested in the subject, there are a number of interesting works. William Smith’s The Secretary for Scotland, published in 1885, was guide to the legislation with a useful introductory essay providing back- ground to the Office’s establishment. John Percival Day’s Public Administration in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, published in 1918, is probably the best work on not only the public administration of the Highlands and Islands but on Scotland published up to that point in time and, indeed, for many years after. It details the structure of govern- ment, its functions and finances. Works cited in the bibliography by Grierson, Jeffrey, Laird, Peck and Rose are uncritical for the most part and written from the inside but helpful. The work of Ian Levitt, notably his collections of National Archives of Scotland papers is underutilised by historians. He appears to have looked at many of the public papers that I have used in this book. Twenty years ago, I was fortunate to receive a Fullerton, Moir and Gray scholarship from the University of Aberdeen to allow me complete a D.Phil. at Nuffield College, Oxford. I chose to study the early history of the Scottish Office. Having completed the thesis I moved on to other matters only returning to this study many years later. I was grateful to receive the support of the Leverhulme Trust under its Nations and Regions programme which allowed me to do work on territorial public finance. Chapter 8 is the outcome of that work. Many individuals helped in the production of this book, some directly, others indirectly. Few of those who were key to the events that ix
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