PRIME MINISTER
Engagements
Q1. Mr. Corbyn
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 10 April.
[column 338]The Prime Minister (Mrs. Margaret Thatcher)
This morning I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall be having further meetings later today.
Mr. Corbyn
Will the Prime Minister tell us whether she has confidence in her lame duck Secretary of State for Education and Science or in the governors of Christ's college school in her constituency, who have decided under the chairmanship of the former chairman of the Finchley Conservative party, Councillor John Tiplady, that it is impractical to proceed with the general certificate of secondary education examination course starting this September?
The Prime Minister
I have great confidence in my right hon. Friend Sir Keith Josephthe Secretary of State for Education and Science, and so have my constituents.
Mr. Mudd
Will my right hon. Friend reflect, in the period between her other meetings today, on the fact that that if the roof of a Cornish tin mine fell in and three Cornish tin miners were killed the world would see a flurry of activity at Westminster and Whitehall and much attention paid to the Cornish crisis? Yet one Cornish tin mine has closed, 270 jobs have died and the life of a community is in peril. Why is there not the same interest on the part of Whitehall in this crisis in Cornwall to which we expect the Government to respond?
The Prime Minister
I have made it clear on previous occasions that the Government would be prepared to consider applications for projects to bring the tin mines up to commercial viability. I understand that the Department of Trade and Industry has received an application for assistance from the Geevor tin mine. It will be considered as soon as possible.
Dr. Owen
Will the Prime Minister confirm that she has offered talks on an open agenda to the leaders of the Ulster political parties and that the right hon. Member for Lagan Valley (Mr. Molyneaux) was wrong when he said in a radio interview today that the talks are not open but conditional? Will she confirm that there are no preconditions on either side?
The Prime Minister
I have made it absolutely clear that the Anglo-Irish accord, endorsed by the House and the other place, will continue and will be implemented. I would very much like, nevertheless, to have talks with the representatives of the Unionist party on matters which have been previously identified and on other matters if they wish to bring them up.
Mr. Adley
Is my right hon. Friend aware that British publishers are losing tens of millions of pounds through piracy, and that the two countries with the worst record in this regard are Taiwan and South Korea? Has she raised with Mr. Chun during his visit the problems that his country's companies are causing British publishers? If not, will she please do so?
The Prime Minister
I did not raise that particular matter with the President. I believe that it was raised by the Department of Trade and Industry. We are greatly concerned about it. Singapore is another country which is taking action, I understand.
Q2. Mr. Mikardo
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 10 April.
[column 339]The Prime Minister
I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave some moments ago.
Mr. Mikardo
I thank the right hon. Lady for that reply. Will she have time today to reply to a letter that she received some time ago from the general secretary of the Association of Scientific, Technical and Managerial Staffs about the deteriorating position in the Westland factory at Weston-super-Mare? Will she have time today to tell United Technologies that if it is operating factories in Great Britain it must do so within the framework of British and not American labour law?
The Prime Minister
If it is a matter for the law, it will be a matter for my right hon. and learned Friend Sir Michael Haversthe Attorney-General. If it concerns only a private sector company, it is a matter for the company.
Q3. Mrs. Peacock
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 10 April.
The Prime Minister
I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.
Mrs. Peacock
Has my right hon. Friend had an opportunity today to read the leader in The Times, which suggests that the Government will not honour the Anglo-Irish agreement? Will she confirm to the House that she is totally committed to its success and to its implementation?
The Prime Minister
Yes. As I have indicated, the Government are committed to the Anglo-Irish accord and to its implementation, and will continue to implement it. Of course, we should also like to talk to the Unionists on the basis which I indicated previously, on particular points. I hope that the Unionists will take advantage of that opportunity to come and talk, but the accord will continue.
Mr. Kinnock
May I first say that a continuing commitment to the accord, coupled with a dialogue with people from the Unionist section of the community in Northern Ireland, is an intelligent approach which will be supported on the Labour side of the House?
Is the Prime Minister aware that there is widespread support among the disabled and the professional and voluntary organisations that have particular care for the disabled for the private Member's Bill that has been introduced by my hon. Friend the Member for Monklands, West (Mr. Clarke)? Will she give an undertaking that when the Bill is debated tomorrow the Government will not introduce any amendments that would weaken or in any way impede its principles as introduced by my hon. Friend?
The Prime Minister
As the right hon. Gentleman is aware, the Government have tabled certain amendments to the Bill which we believe will make proper provision without imposing undue burdens on local authorities.
Mr. Kinnock
The Government's approach to the Bill is cheap and nasty. Will the Prime Minister accept that, in the interests of humanity and efficiency in providing proper care for the disabled, and in the interests of those who care for them and save the country £5 billion a year, the Bill would go much of the way towards ensuring that the disabled are properly represented and that information about their cases is properly communicated?
The Prime Minister
When it comes to expressing concern for the disabled, this Government have an [column 340]extremely good record—better than that of any previous Government. [Interruption.] We have increased spending on benefits for the long-term sick and disabled by over one third in real terms to over £4.5 billion. Associations representing the disabled made it clear when we came into office that their main priority was a speeding-up of the introduction of the mobility allowance, which we did. We increased substantially its value. We made it non-taxable and we increased spending—[Interruption]——
Mr. Speaker
Order. The Prime Minister was asked a question. She is giving the answer and the House should listen.
The Prime Minister
We increased spending on the mobility allowance by four and a half times in real terms. It is not for the right hon. Gentleman to criticise the record of this Government on help for the disabled.
Mr. Kinnock
Surely the right hon. Lady must know that no one who is disabled or who cares for the disabled can accept the description of her policies that she has offered. It does not stand up in practice. Is it not the case that she heads a Government who cut the invalidity allowance? Have not her Government inflicted cuts on local government which have prevented it fulfilling even its statutory duties towards the disabled? Will she further accept that all the advances that have been made under her Government were originated by the last Labour Government? If the Prime Minister cares as much as she says she cares, surely supporting my hon. Friend's Bill would be a very small addition to what she has already done.
The Prime Minister
Which of the facts that I have given does the right hon. Gentleman quarrel with? In addition, we have extended the long-term supplementary rate to many disabled people, we have extended the entitlement to invalidity care allowance to non-relatives, and we have abolished the invalidity trap, which will benefit over 50,000 disabled people. It is an excellent record for disabled people, and all the finance has been found in the lifetime of this Government.
Mr. Parris
Can my right hon. Friend find time to express to Fidel Castro, through the Cuban ambassador, her congratulations on his decision to sell Cuban council houses to their existing tenants?
The Prime Minister
I confess that I do not regard that as of top priority today, but any move towards capitalism and freedom by a Communist society is welcome.
Mr. Douglas
Will the Prime Minister find time in her busy day to reply to a letter that I sent her in relation to the ordering of auxiliary oil replenishment vessels? Will she give us some indication that the rules in terms of procurement policy have been obeyed here? In addition, will she end the speculation in relation to the ordering of type 23 frigates 02, 03 and 04 and confirm that some of those orders will go to Yarrow as the lead yard?
The Prime Minister
As I have said, the figures on the AORs are being looked at to ensure that the competition is fair. I have no further statement to make at present.
Q4. Mr. Cockeram
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 10 April.
The Prime Minister
I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.
[column 341]Mr. Cockeram
Is my right hon. Friend not concerned that, following the drop in world oil prices, our electricity generating industry is still paying historic and artificially high prices for its coal, with the consequence that our electricity prices to British industry are higher than those on the continent? Is she aware that this is having detrimental effects on employment in industry? Will the Prime Minister seek to ensure that this further hidden subsidy to the coal industry is ended?
The Prime Minister
I think my hon. Friend will agree that what he says is very good evidence of the wisdom of this Government's policy for the coal industry of getting rid of uneconomic pits and concentrating on economic pits that have good seams and where higher productivity can produce lower-priced coal, to the benefit both of the coal industry and of the electricity industry. He is quite right. The electricity supply industry will have to be in touch with the National Coal Board about the price of coal to enable electricity suppliers to pass on some of the reductions that people have been expecting since the fall in the price of oil.
Q5. Mr. Simon Hughes
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 10 April.
The Prime Minister
I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave some moments ago.
Mr. Hughes
Will the Prime Minister accept that some of the Government's policies for the inner city, ring pretty hollow when, at the same time as money is cut back for housing for rent in the public and private sector and there is in the south-east an 11.8 per cent. increase in the cost of housing, in docklands a former criminal can run a docklands property centre which in 18 months has been able, as a result of insider dealing, to resell housing bought for £75,000 at prices of £250,000 and above? Will she [column 342]make sure that her right hon. and learned Friend the Attorney-General and her right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment investigate the abuse and exploitation of housing in the inner city, to the detriment of people who desperately need to be housed?
The Prime Minister
The hon. Gentleman will be aware that the amount devoted to the urban grant has been greatly increased during the lifetime of this Government. Moreover, I am sure that he would be the first to wish to congratulate the Government on the London docklands authority, which has done things for that part of London that have never been done before under any Government, including the provision of much cheaper housing.
Q6. Mr. David Atkinson
asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 10 April.
The Prime Minister
I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.
Mr. Atkinson
Will my right hon. Friend resist any temptation to compromise on the Shops Bill, which, although superficially attractive, would lead only to new anomalies, unenforceable laws and, in the suggestion of passing the buck to local authorities, would only add to the nationwide hotch-potch of local standards that already exist for pub hours, sex shops and the fluoridation of water supplies? Will she tell the House that next week we will have a straight choice between freedom of choice on Sunday observance and the strict and costly enforcement of the existing criminal law by local authorities?
The Prime Minister
I believe that it is common ground that the present law is unenforceable, and that if one attempted to enforce it, that would have the effects that my hon. Friend has described. Many people will share my hon. Friend's view. The proposals are contained in the Bill which I have reason to believe will be before the House shortly.