Speeches, etc.

Margaret Thatcher

House of Commons PQs

Document type: Speeches, interviews, etc.
Venue: House of Commons
Source: Hansard HC [178/864-68]
Editorial comments:

1515-1530.

Importance ranking: Major
Word count: 2153
Themes: Industry, Pay, Trade, Foreign policy (Middle East), Foreign policy (International organizations), European Union (general), European Union Budget, Economic, monetary & political union, European Union Single Market, By-elections, Executive, Parliament, Law & order, Leadership
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PRIME MINISTER

Engagements

Q1. Mr. Maclennan

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 30 October.

The Prime Minister (Mrs. Margaret Thatcher)

This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and [column 865]others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall be having further meetings later today. This evening I hope to have an audience of Queen Elizabeth IIHer Majesty the Queen.

Mr. Maclennan

Will the Prime Minister clarify the Government's policy on Europe? The deputy Prime Minister has said that it offers recombination of sovereignty for more effective partnership. The Chancellor of the Exchequer has said that the ecu could develop into a single currency. Was the Prime Minister surprised that in Rome, by 11 votes to one, her European colleagues preferred her Cabinet colleagues' expression of belief to that which she expressed?

The Prime Minister

We shall co-operate fully, as a nation state with its own Parliament, with the other 11 countries in the European Community. It is not our policy to have a single currency imposed upon us and I believe that that meets the views of Parliament and people. We have made different proposals for a further stage which would involve a hard ecu, and the hon. Gentleman is very much aware of those proposals.

Mr. Leigh

I wonder whether our European partners would profit from a reading of British history. If they read G.M. Trevelyan's work “England under the Stuarts” , would not they see that Britain's principal contribution to European civilisation has been parliamentary democracy, just as France's was the revolution and Germany's the reformation——

Mr. Speaker

Order. Let us come to the question.

Mr. Leigh

Will my right hon. Friend rest assured that she has the full support of Conservative Members in fighting for Britain's traditional sovereignty in the control of our economy?

The Prime Minister

I believe that the traditions and example of this House have gone the world over with admiration. I believe that they have not only served this country well, but they have served Europe well as this House kept sitting when the lights of Europe went out.

Mr. Kinnock

Will the Prime Minister take this opportunity strongly to condemn those Conservatives who have publicly insulted her deputy Prime Minister by calling him “irresponsible and unconstitutional” simply for expressing his views on the future of the European Community?

The Prime Minister

Conservative Members do not need a licence from me to express their views—unlike a previous Labour Prime Minister who said that Labour Back Benchers and Front Benchers did need a licence from him.

Mr. Kinnock

That certainly does not answer the question. On an issue as vital as this, does not the Prime Minister owe it to her deputy Prime Minister to state unequivocally that those who have personally and viciously attacked him do not have her support? Does she not owe it to her deputy to say that he enjoys her full confidence in all matters?

The Prime Minister

My right hon. and learned Friend Sir Geoffrey Howethe deputy Prime Minister is too big a man to need a little man like the right hon. Gentleman to stand up for him.

Dr. Goodson-Wickes

Does my right hon. Friend agree that other European countries hold equally strong views [column 866]about the protection of their particular national identities but are more inhibited than my right hon. Friend in expressing them?

The Prime Minister

I entirely agree with my hon. Friend. I think that most people feel rather strongly about their national identities. When it comes to getting down to detailed discussion, we shall see those differences emerge. They do not emerge when we are talking about generalities.

Q2. Mr. Bernie Grant

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 30 October.

The Prime Minister

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

Mr. Grant

Does the Prime Minister agree that there is unacceptable discrimination in the prison system? How is it that, just a few weeks after being sentenced for his part in the Guinness affair, Mr. Gerald Ronson was allowed out of prison in a chauffeur-driven car to consult his private doctor and to have a meal with his family and business associates? Does not that fly in the face of the sentiments expressed by her right hon. and learned Friend the Home Secretary, who said at the Tory party conference that there would be stiffer sentencing and that “12 months means 12 months.” ?

Can the Prime Minister explain the contradiction between her Government's theories and their practice?

The Prime Minister

If the hon. Gentleman has any specific complaints to make about a specific case he should make them to the proper authorities.

Sir William Clark

Has my right hon. Friend read the article in today's Daily Mail about the Nissan car plant in Sunderland which is not only increasing its car exports to Germany but expects to export cars to Japan next year? Is that not proof positive that when there is close co-operation between workers and management Britain can compete with anyone in the world?

The Prime Minister

Yes, I entirely agree with my hon. Friend. The record of that car plant is quite outstanding. It is a combination of British workmanship and Japanese management which is producing excellent cars and also exporting them to increase our exports to other countries.

Mr. Home Robertson

In view of the Prime Minister's frequent pronouncements about national sovereignty, will she reflect that Britain is not a nation but a union of nations, just as the European Community is a community of nations? Is she aware that most of us want to see both the union and the Community flourish, and cannot understand why the cuckoo in Downing street is doing so much to destroy both that Community and that union?

The Prime Minister

Of course we wish to see both the United Kingdom and the European Community flourish, and the Government and the country have done a great deal to ensure that the Community does flourish. For example, in spite of having achieved a very good financial deal from the Community—much better than the one that Labour left us with—we still pay £2.2 billion to the Community, which is rather more than the £1.7 billion that we have left to pay to the third world. That is an excellent record of gift to the European Community.

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Q3. Dr. Blackburn

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 30 October.

The Prime Minister

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

Dr. Blackburn

Does my right hon. Friend agree with the economic and industrial equation that an order equals production equals employment equals profits equals further investment? Will she emphasise to the nation from the Dispatch Box the importance of negotiations with management and trade unions so that they do not price themselves out of the initial ingredient which is the order in sterling?

The Prime Minister

I agree that it is absolutely vital that manufacturers keep their costs down and do not price themselves out of their market. Productivity is the key, and that is not only a question of wages but of keeping up investment and very good management and very few restrictive practices. I think that we are reaching that position in British industry now, and that augurs well for the future.

Mr. Campbell-Savours

Why does not the United Nations consider sending into Kuwait an unarmed contingent of people to set up collection points for the evacuation of those people in hiding? Is it not time that the western world and those who support this initiative ensured that we rather than Saddam Hussein were seen to be taking the initiative?

The Prime Minister

I am sure that the hon. Gentleman has read the extensive resolution passed in the United Nations yesterday which deals not only with compensation for damage in Kuwait but with the question of embassies and hostages there. It utterly condemns the hostage taking in Kuwait and calls upon Saddam Hussein to release those people immediately …   . It also requests that Perez de Cuellarthe Secretary General use his good offices to that end.

Q4. Mr. Hayes

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 30 October.

The Prime Minister

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

Mr. Hayes

Is my right hon. Friend at all surprised that the Italians are pressing for speedy monetary union when they have a deficit of £80 billion, when their national debt is almost equal to their gross domestic product and they want to be bailed out by the Bundesbank? Will my right hon. Friend therefore express the view of the majority of hon. Members in this House and the majority of people in this country—that she should back the market but for heaven's sake stick with the pound?

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The Prime Minister

It is important that we all fulfil our present commitments before taking on new ones. Clearly, some countries in the Common Market would like to hand over some of their financial affairs to a European central bank and divest their Parliaments of much of their powers. That is not our view. We do not wish to hand over further powers from this Parliament to other bodies. As my hon. Friend has said, it is also important that we complete the single market. In that respect, this country has an excellent record. There are only 15 directives that we have not implemented. Italy has not yet implemented 62 of the directives.

Q5. Mr. Clelland

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 30 October.

The Prime Minister

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

Mr. Clelland

In the course of her busy day, will the Prime Minister give some consideration to the by-elections pending in Bradford, Bootle and Paisley? Can she confirm that her electoral strategy will be to blame her candidates?

The Prime Minister

Our electoral strategy will be to point out that after 11 years of Conservative government this country has the highest standard of living ever known, that since we were returned at the last election, taxation has been reduced to 25p in the pound at the standard rate and 40p in the pound at the top rate, that the earnings rule for pensioners has been abolished, that we have the most prosperous social services and health service that this country has ever known, and that it is worth sending back Conservative Members of Parliament from those by-elections.

Q6. Mr. Jessel

To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 30 October.

The Prime Minister

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

Mr. Jessel

As next month Queen Elizabeth IIHer Majesty the Queen is to visit Kneller Hall at Twickenham to mark the completion of the restoration of the Royal Military school of music, which trains the finest Army bands which are the envy of the entire world, is my right hon. Friend aware that my constituents are proud of the Queen, of Kneller Hall and of the Prime Minister and hope that the Prime Minister will make certain that the head of the Queen remains permanently on the coinage of the realm?

The Prime Minister

I congratulate my hon. Friend on the success of his fight to keep Kneller Hall in his constituency. With regard to that and the rest of his question, which was phrased so ingeniously—and so say all of us on this side of the House.