Speeches, etc.

Margaret Thatcher

House of Commons PQs

Document type: Speeches, interviews, etc.
Venue: House of Commons
Source: Hansard HC [953/1722-28]
Editorial comments: 1515-30.
Importance ranking: Major
Word count: 2292
Themes: Economic policy - theory and process, Energy
[column 1722]

PRIME MINISTER

(ENGAGEMENTS)

Q1. Mr. Christopher Price

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 13th July.

The Prime Minister (Mr. James Callaghan)

This morning I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet. In addition to my duties in this House, I shall be holding further meetings with ministerial colleagues and others.

Mr. Price

If my right hon. Friend finds a moment to polish up his first draft of the manifesto, will he turn his mind to the problem of the provision of official information to the public? Given the fact that neither the Leader of the Opposition nor her new-found bridegroom from Sidcup has ever taken this problem seriously, to the extent of not even revealing Conservative policies, will my right hon. Friend say what his policy is? Will he publish the serious study as announced in The Times by the Minister who is responsible for the Civil Service, on which doubt has been cast in a letter to that journal today?

The Prime Minister

Yes, Sir. There will be published within the next 10 days or fortnight the Government's views in a White Paper on official secrets and the reform of section 2, which was the original cause of the setting up of the Franks Committee.

That White Paper will also contain a section on the provision of information unconnected with section 2. I am glad to say that, since I originally asked Departments to examine this matter, there has been a great improvement in the amount of material issued. Indeed, only this afternoon the Minister for Social Security is issuing a detailed report prepared by officials on supplementary benefit provisions, together with a large number of supporting documents which will appear in the Library. I hope that my hon. Friend and others will read them all.

Mrs. Thatcher

When James Callaghanthe Prime Minister goes to Bonn, will he ask the leaders of the other countries present at the summit how their Governments have done so much better than the Labour Government of the United Kingdom in the past four years in the same world conditions and [column 1723]without the benefit of North Sea oil? How does he explain that the Labour Government are either bottom of the league or next to the bottom in the matter of jobs, prices, output and growth?

The Prime Minister

I am always ready to learn from anybody in these matters and to try to improve the position in this country. I am sorry that the right hon. Lady feels it necessary to denigrate the efforts of this country when there has been so much improvement in the past four years in so many of the factors to which she has referred. Although we should all be ready to learn lessons from each other, I wish that now and again she would try to speak up and say a good word for Britain.

Mrs. Thatcher

The Prime Minister has not got the point. I was criticising Britain's Government. Will he explain how in the same world conditions, and with the benefit of North Sea oil, the Labour Government have done so much worse than have the Governments of the other countries who will be present at the Bonn summit?

The Prime Minister

In the first place, the right hon. Lady is not accurate. Secondly, we took over from an Administration who left us with a three-day working week, the worst industrial confrontation in this country since the early part of the twentieth century, a vast balance of payments deficit which we have now put right, and an ascending retail price index, which is now falling. We have remedied all these things. The right hon. Lady was a member of the previous Administration and a little humility from her would not go amiss.

Mrs. Thatcher

All the information that I have used has come from Written Answers in Hansard either this month or last. What is inaccurate about the figures?

The Prime Minister

I shall be glad to look into them all, but I have had occasion before to remark on the way in which the Opposition twist the use of statistics.

Mr. Hugh Jenkins

When my right hon. Friend is looking at the draft election manifesto, will he make sure that it includes a strong section on the arts and [column 1724]that the undertakings given in earlier manifestos are repeated and will be carried out by the Government that he will head after the next general election?

The Prime Minister

I am not sure what my hon. Friend is talking about in relation to manifestos.

Q2. Mr. Crawford

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 13th July.

The Prime Minister

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I have just given to my hon. Friend the Member for Lewisham, West (Mr. Price).

Mr. Crawford

As it is clear that the Labour Government intend to proceed with the closure of the Glengarnock steelworks and to postpone indefinitely the Hunterston steelworks, will the Prime Minister have a word with the Secretary of State for Scotland and tell him that it is not, as the Secretary of State has suggested, the SNP which is misleading the people of Scotland over the future of their jobs, but the Secretary of State himself and the Labour Government? Will the Prime Minister therefore dismiss the Secretary of State for Scotland immediately?

The Prime Minister

The hon. Gentleman might put these questions to the Secretary of State for Scotland if he wishes detailed replies to them.

Mr. Henderson

You are the boss.

The Prime Minister

Yes, but in this House and this country there is a doctrine of ministerial responsibility. When the House decides to elect me as life president, I shall assume all the responsibilities—but not until then. I understand that the major investment at Ravenscraig and the ore terminal and direct reduction plants at Hunterston are to be completed, so I do not know where the hon. Gentleman gets his information.

Mr. Dalyell

Has the Prime Minister noticed that the chairman of the Scottish Life Offices Association has seen fit to issue a public warning to his policy-holders about the dangers of the SNP policy to have a pound Scots and a pound sterling? Will my right hon. Friend investigate other areas to allow people to understand just what SNP policies are all about?

[column 1725]

The Prime Minister

I should be very glad to learn more about SNP policies, because it seems that the more the Scottish people learn about them, the less is the support for the SNP.

Mr. Powell

If the Prime Minister is spending any time today in preparation for the meeting in Bonn, will he resolve not to enter into any scheme, whether proposed at Bremen, Bonn or anywhere else beginning with “B” , which involves the principle of fixed exchange rates, which over the past 30 years has done more harm than any other single factor to the economy and morale of this country?

The Prime Minister

I have no intention of entering into any commitments, and nor would one be asked to do so at Bonn, as the right hon. Gentleman knows. There is a great intellectual discussion between the right hon. Gentleman and many others who are similarly profound on the question whether fixed exchange rates have been a problem. I have no doubt that a zone of stability is to be preferred to much of the speculative consequences that flow from the present system. If we could get something between the two, I should be very happy.

Mrs. Castle

When publishing the White Paper on open government to which he referred earlier, will my right hon. Friend bear in mind his Government's manifesto commitment to introduce a freedom of information Act which will place on public authorities the onus of proving why information should be withheld from the public?

The Prime Minister

I have borne that in mind very much and I regret that we cannot come to that conclusion at this time, so the White Paper will contain certain reasons why we shall not be introducing such a Bill.

Q3. Mr. Henderson

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 13th July.

The Prime Minister

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Lewisham, West (Mr. Price).

Mr. Henderson

As it is possible that the Prime Minister's attention may turn [column 1726]sometime today to the question of pay policy, will he take into account what many people in Scotland regard as a gross distortion of pay scales, namely, the provision of London weighting, which is now running at about £9 per week, and suggest either the abandonment of this gross favouritism to people working in London or the introduction of a similar weighting allowance for people in areas of high costs, such as Scotland, to bring a sense of equity and fair dealing into pay negotiations?

The Prime Minister

I am aware that the problem of London weighting has often caused a great deal of disagreement throughout many parts of the United Kingdom—not only in Scotland—but it is not an issue for the Government to settle. It is a matter for negotiation.

Mr. Ford

If the Prime Minister, during the course of his engagements today, happens to see the Foreign Secretary, will he congratulate him on the arrangement which has been made in Namibia between the five western Powers and SWAPO and other sections and urge the Foreign Secretary not to brook any interference in the transition to a democratic and peaceful community in Namibia?

The Prime Minister

I am grateful to my hon. Friend, because I believe that the work that has been done by the five Powers in negotiating with South Africa and with SWAPO may be of very great benefit to the people of South-West Africa. It looks as though the five Powers can go to the Security Council to ask for the appointment of a United Nations administrator to effect a peaceful settlement in this territory. That would be of great significance and importance, not only in itself but perhaps for the effects it would have on the prospects of a settlement in Rhodesia as well.

Mrs. Knight

In the light of what the Prime Minister said earlier about ministerial responsibility, may I ask whether he has planned to use any part of his day to call in his right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Overseas Development to try to get agreement on whether the Government are or are not in favour of taking over the 500 top companies in Great Britain?

[column 1727]

The Prime Minister

I do not propose to do that today. [Hon. Members: “Answer.” ] I am sorry that Conservative Members are a little deaf. I said that I do not propose to do that today.

NATIONALISED INDUSTRIES

Q4. Mr. Terry Walker

asked the Prime Minister when he last met the heads of nationalised industries.

The Prime Minister

I do not see the heads of nationalised industries collectively, but I meet them individually from time to time, as necessary.

Mr. Walker

Will my right hon. Friend consider having talks with his noble Friend Lord Beswick, chairman of British Aerospace, because there are problems that need to be ironed out about the future production programme of British Aerospace? Many of us on this side of the House welcome the go-ahead for the HS146, but, as the Prime Minister well knows, decisions have to be made about our future collaborative programme with Europe or the Americans and talks with Lord Beswick would certainly help this decision along.

The Prime Minister

I can assure my hon. Friend that the Secretary of State for Industry is in close touch with Lord Beswick on these issues. I welcome the debate that my hon. Friend initiated on Monday. I read it with very great interest and thought that there was a great deal of expert information contained in it which was of help to the Government. We shall reach conclusions on these matters, but negotiations are going on with both European and American aircraft companies.

Mr. Tapsell

Does the Prime Minister's statement made earlier this afternoon that the prices index is going down apply to the products of nationalised industries, or is that statement about to be repudiated, like his earlier assurance to me that the cost of living index would never rise again into double figures?

The Prime Minister

The hon. Gentleman is misleading once more. He forgets the coda with which I ended—namely, provided that we stick with our existing policies. Why does he not quote me in full if he quotes me at all? As for the [column 1728]retail price index, perhaps the hon. Gentleman will wait until tomorrow to see what figure is published. We shall then know whether the rate of inflation is moving up or down. I have a feeling that, contrary to the national interest but in accordance with their normal prejudices, Opposition Members will be disappointed to find that the rate of inflation is still going down. Whether we can continue to keep it at that level depends upon following the policies that we have enunciated, which I am now struggling to do without any help from the hon. Gentleman.