PRIME MINISTER
Engagements
Q1. Mr. Wrigglesworth
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 27 June.
The Prime Minister (Mrs. Margaret Thatcher)
This morning I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had [column 1072]meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in this House, I shall be having further meetings later today. This evening I shall be travelling to Milan for a meeting of the European Council.
Mr. Wrigglesworth
Will the Prime Minister take an opportunity now to say where she stands in the row between the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Leader of the House over future income tax cuts? If she is in favour of further income tax cuts, will she explain to the 3.25 million unemployed, all those with bad housing, the parents who want better education in the schools, and many others, why the revenue from North sea oil and from the massive sale of public assets is not being reinvested in the crumbling fabric in this country instead of being given away in election bribes and income tax cuts?
The Prime Minister
With regard to the speech by my right hon. Friend John Biffenthe Leader of the House, he pointed out very vigorously that expanding welfare policy could be financed only by the proceeds of profitable industry and commerce. My right hon. Friend Nigel Lawsonthe Chancellor of the Exchequer pointed out that company profitability last year was the highest ever and that investment reached an all-time high. It seems to me that the two speeches fit together admirably.
Mr. Temple-Morris
Would my right hon. Friend like to confirm firmly that it is not Her Majesty's Government's policy to re-rate agricultural land? Is she aware that hon. Members from both the Social Democratic and the Liberal parties in the so-called alliance are for once in unison in the sense that they have recently shown an intention in the House to re-rate agricultural land?
The Prime Minister
I gladly confirm once again that it is not this Conservative Government's policy to re-rate agricultural land. I am grateful to my hon. Friend for emphasising that.
Mr. Merlyn Rees
Does the Prime Minister recall the activities to Admiral Cochrane, who stood for Parliament in Honiton in 1806——
Mr. Speaker
Order. Before we get too far down that historical line, does the question relate to the Prime Minister's responsibilities?
Mr. Rees
Admiral Cochrane reneged on his promise to pay 10 guineas a head to those who voted for him and never returned to Honiton again. Does the right hon. Lady think that “Field-Marshal” Heseltine will ever go back to Brecon and Radnor?
The Prime Minister
I should have thought that the right hon. Gentleman would be pleased with the decision to use Crickhowell barracks as a training camp and a Territorial Army centre, following extensive representations, including the delegation to Michael Heseltinemy right hon. Friend from Lord Hooson. I would also have thought that the right hon. Gentleman would have noted that as long ago as 12 December 1984, long before there was any thought of a by-election in Brecon, it was announced by Lord Trefgarnethe Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces that the Ministry of Defence, following inquiries, was looking for alternative military uses and was identifying possibilities.
Q2. Mr. Meadowcroft
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 27 June.
[column 1073]The Prime Minister
I refer the hon. gentleman to the reply that I gave some moments ago.
Mr. Meadowcroft
Will the right hon. Lady accept that the action yesterday by the Secretary of State for Defence conforms brilliantly to the rule that elections work wonders? May we, in the next six days, have an extension of that rule to cover special credit facilities for newcomers to farming—[Hon. Members: “Reading.” ]—for increased expenditure on high schools in Powys—[Hon. Members: “Reading.” ]—for the withdrawal of the Transport Bill to rescue rural buses—[Hon. Members: “Reading.” ]—an assurance that there will be no nuclear dumping in Wales—[Hon. Members: “Reading.” ]—and——
Mr. Speaker
Order. No reading of supplementary questions, please.
Mr. Meadowcroft
To facilitate matters, Mr. Speaker, I shall send the right hon. Lady the list.
The Prime Minister
I thought that the hon. Gentleman's king had been trumped previously. Along with the Crickhowell decision, there was also announced the retention of the Gordon barracks near Aberdeen, a constituency now held by a Liberal. I know of no impending by-election there, unless the hon. Member for Gordon (Mr. Bruce) is so dissatisfied with the Liberal party that he intends to apply for the Chiltern Hundreds.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle
Is my right hon. Friend aware that a business, Oak Publications, newly set up in Lincoln to publish a free newspaper, has been blacked by the NGA because it refuses to impose a closed shop after the employees, in a free vote, rejected a closed shop after the employees, in a free vote, rejected a closed shop? [Hon. Members: “Reading.” ] Is she aware that that action has, in this new enterprise, frustrated nine jobs—[Hon. Members: “Reading.” ]—at the hands of the NGA? Will my right hon. Friend agree that in the English language we have a clear word for action of that sort, “tyranny” ?
The Prime Minister
I agree with my hon. Friend that it is a disgraceful act of intimidation and attempted coercion to try to put a small man out of business by saying that there will be a closed shop unless that small business man does as others say. It is an act of tyranny and I hope that he will take up his rights in law.
Mr. Hattersley
Now that the retail prices index has risen to 7 per cent., will the Prime Minister repeat and confirm the forecast of 3 per cent. inflation by the end of this Parliament, which she made somewhere in south-east Asia two and a half months ago?
The Prime Minister
Before I refer to the figure of 3 per cent., I would point out to the right hon. Gentleman that although the retail prices index is at 7 per cent., which is bad for this Government, we have a better record than anything achieved under Labour. The answer to the last part of his supplementary question is that 3 per cent. is an attainable target.
Mr. Hattersley
I leave aside the retreat from forecast to target, which is backing away in quite spectacular terms. As the Prime Minister is into comparisons as well as forecasts, will she also confirm that unemployment, real interest rates, company liquidations, the manufacturing trade deficit and mortgage rates are not only higher now than during any month of the Labour Government's history, but are higher than at any time during the history [column 1074]of Great Britain as a whole? And since, as well as making comparisons, the right hon. Lady is making forecasts, will she say by polling day whether unemployment, mortgage rates and interest rates will have come down and whether there will be any improvement in any of the other disasters?
The Prime Minister
Had the right hon. Gentleman been in Government, the position would have been far worse and we should have gone to the IMF again and joined the list of those who are trying to get help from the IMF, instead of, under this Government, being in the list of those who are giving help through the IMF.
Mr. Hattersley
Instead of irrelevant hectoring, will the Prime Minister answer the question? Is it not a fact that all the indicators that I just described are now worse than at any time in our history? Does the right hon. Lady expect any improvement in one of them before polling day?
The Prime Minister
As I said, the position would have been far worse had the right hon. Gentleman been in power. I do not dismiss as lightly as he does the record of Labour in going to the IMF. It was the worst disgrace Britain suffered. His Administration borrowed money and we are still having to repay what they borrowed.
Q3. Mrs. McCurley
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 27 June.
The Prime Minister
I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.
Mrs. McCurley
Will the Prime Minister take this opportunity of confirming to the House the Government's resolve to enhance the status of women in Britain and abroad? In view of the recent agreement to ratify the convention on equality for women from the United Nations, will my right hon. Friend take this opportunity to tell the women of Britain of the Government's excellent record in promoting them in education, the sciences and work?
The Prime Minister
I am grateful to my hon. Friend. This country has the second highest proportion of women in the labour force in the European Community. The long-term trend is towards an increase in the number of women at work. In the past four years the number of young women entering higher education rose by 17 per cent. In 1982–83 nearly half the new medical students were women, and the number of women studying engineering and technology has doubled in less than 10 years. Those are new opportunities for women under this Government.
Mr. Alfred Morris
What are the Prime Minister's comments on the snide and widely condemned remarks earlier this week by the Secretary of State for Wales, in which he made clear his contempt for mentally handicapped people? Has he been reprimanded?
The Prime Minister
My right hon. Friend Nicholas Edwardthe Secretary of State would do no such thing. The right hon. Gentleman has grossly misinterpreted what was said.
Mr. Hume
Will the Prime Minister ensure at the Milan summit, for which she is departing this evening, that the problems of famine in Africa are high on the agenda, and particularly that there will be a positive and adequate response to the tragedy of Sudan?
The Prime Minister
I believe that that matter will almost certainly come up during our discussions, but [column 1075]probably in the separate meetings, not the main meeting, which is on the European Community. On the last occasion when we were at Brussels we asked for a report, in particular on the difficulty of distributing the stocks of food, which is one reason why they do not always reach those who are suffering from famine.
Q4. Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 27 June.
The Prime Minister
I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.
Mrs. Bottomley
Now that the great majority of rate-capped local authorities have set a rate, has my right hon. Friend noticed the scenes of violence, intimidation and disruption at council meetings, and will she seek broad agreement that there is no place for such behaviour in local democracy and that it should be condemned on all sides?
The Prime Minister
I entirely agree with my hon. Friend. Some of the scenes, in places such as Southwark, Brent and Hackney have been the face of Socialism in power—a face of violence and intimidation. I hope that when Lambeth sets a legal rate—if it does so—we shall see no more of those scenes, because they are totally undemocratic. They are scenes of the Fascist Left.
Mr. Pavitt
Will the Prime Minister give more profound thought to and review the answer that she gave to me several months ago about the economic consequences for women who have had a breast amputated and undergo chemotherapy? Does she realise that, since she made her statement at the 1983 Conservative conference, a woman who has chemotherapy has to pay £2 every three weeks, or £31.50 a year? Will she ask the Secretary of State for Social Services to add a ninth category to the British Medical Association's list of eight scheduled diseases—mastectomy?
The Prime Minister
I think that the hon. Gentleman is asking about what diseases are scheduled for the purpose of receiving free treatment. I believe that that is the point of the question that he is asking.
Mr. Pavitt
No.
The Prime Minister
In that case, perhaps the hon. Gentleman will put it to me in writing. As he knows, it has not been possible to review that schedule to include the diseases in which he is interested.
Q5. Mr. Hannam
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 27 June.
The Prime Minister
I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.
Mr. Hannam
Will my right hon. Friend confirm her support for my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his determination to reduce the high levels of personal taxation? Is this not in direct contrast with the policies of the Leader of the Opposition, which are basically the same as the policies of his predecessor—high taxation and high inflation?
The Prime Minister
Yes, the policies of the Labour party when it was in power resulted in 2 million more [column 1076]people being in the income tax bracket when it left office than there were when it entered office. We have taken people out of tax. The Labour party introduced new taxes, such as the national insurance surcharge, and we have abolished taxes. We have increased thresholds—that is the tax-free allowance—which are now 20 per cent. higher than they were when the Labour Government were in power.
Q8. Mr. Dame Jill Knight
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 27 June.
The Prime Minister
I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.
Dame Jill Knight
Will my right hon. Friend bear in mind that not everybody welcomes with open arms the implications of the ratification of the United Nations convention on discrimination against women? Can my right hon. Friend protect this country from the trap that has been discovered in other countries when they have ratified, which is that 50 per cent. of all the work force in certain firms, no matter how heavy or unsuitable the jobs, have to be women?
The Prime Minister
I know my hon. Friend's views on this, and I know that she will understand that when we ratified the convention we entered a number of reservations about it, which were made as a result of insistent representations from my hon. Friend.
Mr. Ray Powell
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker
Order. Is it directly arising out of questions?
Mr. Powell
Yes, it is, Mr. Speaker. I seek your guidance to find out how it is possible for us to have a clear understanding from the Prime Minister when a question is asked about one of her Ministers who made a statement, which was publicly announced in most of the national and local press. The Prime Minister denied that that statement was made, although it was released by the Secretary of State for Wales to the Press Association. How do Back Benchers pursue the matter—when a question is asked and a reply such as we had today is given—to ensure that they get a truthful and a proper reply from the Prime Minister?
Mr. Speaker
I said earlier, and I think that the hon. Gentleman will accept it, that the Prime Minister, or any other Minister, can only answer questions about her direct responsibilities. I suggest that the hon. Gentleman's correct course, if he is concerned about the statement made by another Minister, is to put that question direct to the Minister.
Mr. Parry
Further to that point of order, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker
We shall be delayed.
Mr. Parry
This point of order arises from the point made by my hon. Friend the Member for Ogmore (Mr. Powell). The Prime Minister has denied that the Secretary of State made that statement, when the Minister has agreed to withdraw it and apologise. Will——
Mr. Speaker
Order. I know nothing about such statements.