Q1. Mr. Sackville
To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 28 January.
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. Sackville
Does my right hon. Friend agree that our economic prospects are better now than at any time during the—[Interruption.] That improvement applies equally to the north-west as to the south-east. Is my right hon. Friend aware that there is well over £100 million worth of new development currently under way in Bolton town centre? That is the sort of news that we want from the north of England, rather than the doom and gloom from the Labour Benches, which does so much to reinforce outdated prejudices and deter new investment.
The Prime Minister
I agree with my hon. Friend. Enterprise is thriving and unemployment is falling in all parts of the country. I congratulate Bolton on its attitude. It is welcoming private enterprise, and the £100 million is an extremely large investment on any count. The real divide is between those cities that welcome private sector enterprise and those which would rather discourage it and have higher unemployment.
Mr. Kinnock
Does the Prime Minister recall saying, just five weeks ago, on 21 December, that charges for patients in National Health Service hospitals
“could not possibly come in during the lifetime of this Parliament because I remember very vividly during the election I confirmed we would rule it out. We have introduced extra charges which we think people can afford but we are not talking about extra charges beyond those which we have introduced.”
Does the Prime Minister still stand by those words?
The Prime Minister
Yes, of course. I made that clear when I was asked a similar question in the House but a short time ago.
Mr. Kinnock
Is the Prime Minister saying—it is important that she make a formal announcement about this—that there is no possibility in this Parliament of direct or indirect charges for visits to the doctor, for hospital visits, for family planning services or anything else? If she is—and it is what she said in the election—will she be good enough to make a formal announcement, instead of letting it seep out through Bernard Ingham?
The Prime Minister
I have been asked this question in this House about board and lodging charges, and I have answered it in this House. The statements made during the general election stand. I have said so before, and I say so again. They stand for the lifetime of this Parliament. By the time the next Parliament comes we shall have completed the internal review. We shall then make our promises, which will stand for the following Parliament.
Decentralisation
Q2. Mr. Fallon
To ask the Prime Minister what steps she is taking to decentralise the work of government.
The Prime Minister
Over 5,500 Civil Service posts have already been transferred from London since 1979 under [column 476]the Government's dispersal programme, and a similar number of posts have been dispersed on the initiative of individual Departments.
Mr. Fallon
Is my right hon. Friend aware that many private companies previously based in London and the south-east have now discovered the advantages of lower-cost enterprise and the higher quality of life that the north can offer? Bearing in mind the very high cost of London weighting allowance and commuter subsidies, would it not make more sense, where it is cost-effective to do so, to transfer more administrative and clerical work from Whitehall to the provinces?
The Prime Minister
I have indicated some of the posts that have gone and some that separate Departments are also considering. There are nearly 34,000 civil servants working in the northern region. I agree with my hon. Friend about the importance of locating Civil Service jobs outside London and the south-east where possible, because the costs are very high there. This is resulting in separate Departments looking at their plans. By the end of this year, the DHSS will have created a further 500 jobs at its Newcastle central office.
Mr. Nicholas Brown
The hon. Member for Darlington (Mr. Fallon) undertook some time ago to persuade the Prime Minister to move a substantial number of defence jobs from the south to the north. Why has he been so unsuccessful?
The Prime Minister
I have said that there are nearly 34,000 civil servants working in the northern region, and in fact four out of five civil servants work outside Greater London. There are already a very considerable number of jobs in the northern region, and, as I have said, there will be more DHSS jobs by the end of this year.
Mr. Wilkinson
Does my right hon. Friend agree that it is thoroughly refreshing to have a closed question of this kind at this time?
The Prime Minister
That is a matter for the House. I try to answer the questions that are put down.
Engagements
Q3. Mr. Buchan
To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 28 January.
The Prime Minister
I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave some moments ago.
Mr. Buchan
I have been listening with growing astonishment to the right hon. Lady's claims about decentralisation, since only yesterday she intervened to take direct control over education in Paisley. Are not the regulations she announced yesterday monstrous, arbitrary and possibly illegal? Does she realise that her intervention in favour of one school out of six is an attempt to condemn the other five good schools to closure? Will she not follow the advice given by every commentator and every newspaper in Scotland, led by the Glasgow Herald, which used the headline:
“Government sledgehammer” ?
That is the right hon. Lady; it is a good phrase. The Herald said:
“Yesterday was a dismal day for what still remains of local democracy.”
Will the right hon. Lady now recognise the evil and stupidity of her action and withdraw it?
[column 477]The Prime Minister
Extensive representations were made to keep in existence a very good school, very popular with parents. What the hon. Gentleman cannot stand is that that school gives great opportunity. Parents wanted it to be kept in existence. It is a very popular decision, which will bring opportunity to many pupils. The hon. Gentleman speaks about legislation. One can lay down regulations only under existing legislation.
Q4. Mr. Tim Smith
To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 28 January.
The Prime Minister
I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.
Mr. Smith
Does my right hon. Friend agree that the strike proposed for next week by certain nursing unions can only hurt patients? Will she therefore condemn the action and invite the Leader of the Opposition to do the same?
The Prime Minister
Yes, Mr. Speaker, I agree with my hon. Friend. Strike action in the Health Service harms the patient and puts heavier burdens on those with higher professional standards who refuse to strike. I condemn such action. I had hoped that it might be condemned by all parts of the House. At any rate, it is condemned by those who care about the Health Service.
Q5. Mrs. Mahon
To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 28 January.
The Prime Minister
I refer the hon. Lady to the reply that I gave some moments ago.
Mrs. Mahon
How does the Prime Minister justify her previous remarks? Why cannot she defend the nurses who are taking action in defence of the National Health Service as vigorously as she defend the workers in Solidarity against the dictatorial rule of General Jaruzelski?
The Prime Minister
Harming patients is taking action against the National Health Service.
Dr. Goodson-Wickes
Does my right hon. Friend share my deep disquiet at the disclosure in the House of individual medical histories? Does the unethical practice adopted by right hon. and hon. Opposition Members achieve anything, save adding to the distress of the parents concerned?
The Prime Minister
I am not aware of a particular case. I would have thought that the general proposition put by my hon. Friend is correct.
Mr. Steel
Will the Prime Minister recognise that, following——
Mr. Dobson
It is Vatman.
Mr. Speaker
Hon. Members must not interrupt in that way.
Mr. Steel
Following her unsuccessful attempt to divide the nurses' unions, will the Prime Minister recognise that the one thing that she could do to restore morale in the National Health Service would be to state unequivocally that the nurses' pay award will be funded in full, without cuts in the budgets of health authorities?
The Prime Minister
We had that identical question either last Question Time or the time before. Identical questions get identical answers. As Government we shall [column 478]deal with the proposals from the review body in the way in which we have dealt with them before. When we know what the proposals are we shall decide precisely how they are to be funded.
Mr. John Browne
Does my right hon. Friend accept that our nation led the world in the exploration of land, sea and air, bringing great commercial, political and cultural advantage to our country? Does she believe that our national interest is greatly served by leading in the exploration of the new domain of space? If so, will she please give due weight to Lord Shackleton 's report and give a clear indication to the House of precisely what is our national space strategy?
The Prime Minister
Money spent on research in space has be weighed against the other competing demands for research money. That is what we are doing. We are keeping, of course, the full subscription to the mandatory programme of the European Space Agency. Some of the other programmes are optional. I understand that ESA itself is reviewing some of its programmes.
Q6. Mr. Pike
To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 28 January.
The Prime Minister
I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave some moments ago.
Mr. Pike
Will the Prime Minister try to find time today to discuss with the Government Chief Whip and her ministerial colleagues, the hon. Members for Pendle (Mr. Lee) and for Rossendale and Darwen (Mr. Trippier) the outcome of a meeting that they attended with me earlier this month with Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale district health authority, when that authority listed a contingency plan for cuts within the Health Service which it said would affect patient care and levels of service within the area if nurses' pay is underfunded next year? Does she recognise that Sir John Page, of the regional health authority, said this week that the health authority, which has now withdrawn that ploy, must submit another? Does she accept that the cuts are already at an unacceptable level? Will she make additional funds available now?
The Prime Minister
I took the precaution of inquiring about the position of Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale health authority. According to our records, the number of in-patients is up by 7.5 per cent——
Mr. Campbell-Savours
Oh, come on.
The Prime Minister
I am coming on. Day cases have gone up by 80 per cent., capital building completed has cost £6 million—the phase 3 development of Burnley general hospital. A pharmacy is under construction at a cost of £1.9 million. In the pipeline, it is planned to spend £5.9 million on Pendle community hospital. Waiting lists are down by 30 per cent. since 1983. Perhaps the hon. Gentleman would like to say thank you.
Q7. Mr. Roger King
To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 28 January.
The Prime Minister
I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.
Mr. King
Is my right hon. Friend aware that February's edition of the authorative motoring magazine Car has tested 12 cars on a price-quality audit? No. 10 was a Mercedes-Benz, No.9 was a Citroen, No. 8 was a Toyota, No. 3 was an Audi, No. 2 was a British-built Ford [column 479]Fiesta, and the Birmingham-built Metro was at the top of the list? Is that not further evidence that the car manufacturers in the midlands have Vorsprung the world?
[column 480]The Prime Minister
Yes. That points to the success of Birmingham and the west midlands as one of the premier car-producing areas in Europe. I congratulate them and wish them well. The west midlands is doing extremely well and the economic forecast is good.