Speeches, etc.

Margaret Thatcher

House of Commons PQs

Document type: Speeches, interviews, etc.
Venue: House of Commons
Source: Hansard HC [18/140-44]
Editorial comments: 1515-1530.
Importance ranking: Major
Word count: 2160
Themes: Employment, Industry, General Elections, Local government finance, Media, Social security & welfare
[column 140]

PRIME MINISTER

Engagements

Q1. Mr. Lee

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 16 February.

The Prime Minister (Mrs. Margaret Thatcher)

This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others, including one with the President of the Council of Europe. 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 Her Majesty the Queen.

Mr. Lee

Now that the bookmakers are making my right hon. Friend the favourite to win the next general election, will she, in planning her second term of office, give serious consideration to the possibility of phasing down the retirement age by, for example, one year each year over the next five years, so that new job opportunities are given to our young people?

The Prime Minister

I am grateful to my hon. Friend and to the bookies for the fact that they are saying “Now's the time to back Maggie.” With regard to the latter part of my hon. Friend's question, the cost of having a retirement age of 60 for men would be so large that it could not be considered now. It would cost about £2.5 billion net a year. As we are already paying between £12 and £13 billion in retirement pensions, and as we must remember that we must take the money from the working population, I cannot give my hon. Friend any encouragement about reducing the retirement age to 60. However, I believe that a Select Committee is considering a common retirement age at the moment.

Mr. Foot

rose——

Hon. Members

Retire.

Mr. Foot

I refer to the right hon. Lady's earlier reply. How do those facts accord with the collapse in manufacturing output to the lowest figure for over 14 years? Does the right hon. Lady regard that figure as confirmation or otherwise to the optimistic prophecies that she has been making over recent months?

The Prime Minister

I think that the right hon. Gentleman is referring to one month's figures—those for December. He will remember that—far from the worst weather for 15 years—we have had the coldest weather since the late 1800s. May I refer him to the view about those figures—incidentally, taken quarter over quarter they represent an increase in output—expressed last night [column 141]by one of the policy advisers to the previous Government, who said that if one looks behind the figures for the reasons for the decline, they become a lot less interesting? He said that there were two reasons and also that

“in November we had strikes in British Leyland and Ford, which cut production in that month.”

This point is much more important:

“in December we had this extreme spell of cold weather which not only cuts overtime working but also cuts deliveries from the factories to the shops and automatically production stops.”

He went on to say:

“I think that the trend over, say, the rest of this year” —[Interruption.]

That was the political adviser to the last Labour Government dealing with the question that the right hon. Gentleman asked. He continued:

“I think the trend over, say, the rest of this year is certainly strongly upwards.”

Mr. Foot

Has the right hon. Lady compared those figures with the recent estimates of the CBI and realised that they very much accord with its estimates? Does she take any account of these matters, or will she go on prophesying that the figures are getting better when all the facts and the mass redundancies throughout the country prove to all that they are getting worse? Are we to have more of the same policy when her right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor produces his Budget?

The Prime Minister

If one compares the fourth quarter of last year with the third—[Interruption.] The Opposition may not like it, but industrial production actually rose. It fell in December because of the terrible weather, much longer holidays and strikes, but it is the right hon. Gentleman who backs the strikes, not me.

Mr. Rippon

Will my right hon. Friend consider today instituting an inquiry into the circumstances and effects of the transfer of titles of Times Newspapers Ltd.? In particular, will she seek an assurance from her right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade that there has been no breach of the letter or the spirit of the undertakings given by the proprietor in January last year?

The Prime Minister

It looks as though the legal situation is very complex and there is more than one view upon it. As my right hon. and learned Friend knows, I am, therefore, not the person to pronounce on the legal matter. My right hon. Friend John Biffenthe Secretary of State for Trade is of course looking into it to see whether the law has been upheld.

Benefits

Q2. Mr. R. C. Mitchell

asked the Prime Minister whether she is satisfied with the co-ordination between the Department of Employment and Department of Health and Social Security with regard to the prompt payment of unemployment and supplementary benefits.

The Prime Minister

In general, I am satisfied with the co-ordination between the Department of Employment and the Department of Health and Social Security on the payment of benefits to unemployed people. Following the comprehensive Rayner scrutiny of the system last year, further improvements are being introduced and other possibilities are under consideration.

Mr. Mitchell

Is the Prime Minister aware that Members of Parliament are receiving more and more complaints about delays in paying supplementary and [column 142]unemployment benefits, which is causing considerable hardship to a large number of people? Is she aware that many local DHSS offices are now unable to cope with the increased demand caused by the Government's economic policies? Will she either authorise an increase in staff or introduce a simplified procedure for claiming benefits?

The Prime Minister

As the hon. Gentleman knows, the Government have been trying to introduce a simplified procedure for the very reasons that he has stated. Staffing levels are reviewed so that they bear a direct relation to the increased load placed on local offices. I am sorry if the hon. Gentleman has found difficulty. There has been some difficulty due to the bad weather and the rail strikes and some letters and forms have not been received. If the hon. Gentleman has any particular cases in mind, we shall gladly look into them, because we are anxious that benefits should be paid promptly and on time.

Mr. Best

Will my right hon. Friend confirm that Girocheques are dispatched deliberately to avoid the weekend so that claimants do not have the difficulty of being without payments over the weekend?

Mr. McNamara

Rubbish.

Mr. Best

Will my right hon. Friend also confirm that during the recent rail dispute Girocheques have been despatched a day earlier to ensure that there is no difficulty? Is my right hon. Friend aware that my recent letter to the Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Security, my hon. Friend the Member for Wallasey (Mrs. Chalker), was the only communication that she had received complaining about delays in the payment of Girocheques?

The Prime Minister

We have not received many complaints about the payment of Girocheques. I confirm what my hon. Friend says. The offices strain to see that claimants receive a good and prompt service.

Mr. Freeson

How can the service be improved or even maintained when the work load per staff member is increasing significantly? Is the right hon. Lady aware that Ministers' answers to questions that I have tabled recently on this matter suggest that the staff is inadequate in number and therefore overloaded? Does she therefore agree that people are not receiving the benefits to which they are due, that there are long queues and that there is a failure in co-ordination?

The Prime Minister

I do not believe that there is a failure in co-ordination. The staff in those offices work extremely hard. The staff levels are always under review in relation to work loads in local offices. Moreover, the supplementary benefits scheme has recently been the subject of a major review, the results of which are steadily being implemented.

Engagements

Q3. Mr. Ancram

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 16 February.

The Prime Minister

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

Mr. Ancram

Has my right hon. Friend had time to see the leaflet distributed to unemployed people by the Department of Health and Social Security seeking to define the suitability of jobs for people on the [column 143]unemployment register? In the light of the present tragic unemployment figures, does she consider that the definitions provided in that leaflet are still relevant or does she believe that they make the provision of jobs more difficult at a time when we should be doing everything possible to make more jobs available?

The Prime Minister

I have seen the leaflet to which my hon. Friend refers. As it received a good deal of publicity a week or so ago I looked at the definition of what is a suitable job, which seems to have remained unchanged since 1946. It seems to me that the definition would preclude people from taking jobs with reasonable pay and I have asked my right hon. Friend Norman Fowlerthe Secretary of State for Social Services to look into the matter.

Mr. Steel

Has the Prime Minister had time to consider early-day motion No. 196 about the so-called youth training centres set up by the Workers' Revolutionary Party?

Mr. Skinner

How many women are there?

Mr. Speaker

Order.

Mr. Skinner

I was only asking about the percentage of women.

Mr. Speaker

Order. I know that, but the hon. Member for Bolsover (Mr. Skinner) must try to control himself. It seems that whenever the Leader of the Liberal Party speaks the hon. Member for Bolsover feels that he must contribute as well. That is not so.

Mr. Steel

Given that the Department of Employment is concerned about this matter, what steps will the Government take to draw the attention of the public to the abuses taking place at the centres?

The Prime Minister

If there are abuses, we shall of course look into the matter. I do not know the truth or otherwise of what is contained in the early-day motion, but [column 144]I assume that it is true, because it has been put down—[Hon. Members: “Oh.” ] Perhaps I should say that I assume it to be true for the purposes of the question. That might be a safer way to put it. If it is true that

“young people have been trained in anti-police methods and indoctrinated with extreme revolutionary views, without the knowledge of public figures on Merseyside whose names were originally used in support of the scheme” ,

that is a very serious matter. I should take any such action extremely seriously and it would of course have to be investigated.

Q4. Mr. Newens

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 16 February.

The Prime Minister

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

Mr. Newens

Will the right hon. Lady find time today to consider the financial crisis now facing the Essex county council as a result of the rate support grant settlement, which has dismayed even its Conservative leaders, who are worried by the response that they have received from her right hon. Friends? Is she aware that this threatens educational services, old people's homes, fire cover and many other local government services in Essex? It is extremely important that she should intervene to see that something is done about it.

The Prime Minister

As the hon. Gentleman knows, all rate support grant figures have been published and the local authorities know them. We are debating the whole matter today, as it affects England and Wales. I am sure that he will put those views strenuously to Michael Heseltinemy right hon. Friend.

Mr. Speaker

I have received notice of three applications for emergency debates under Standing Order No. 9. I shall take them in the order in which they were received.