The Rt. Hon. Sir John Major KG CH

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  • Mr Major’s Doorstep Interview in London – 21 February 1991

    Below is Mr Major’s doorstep interview held in London on Thursday 21st February 1991.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Can I just say to you we have now had the opportunity to look very carefully at what Saddam Hussein seems to have said in his speech. It clearly is very disappointing. There is no glimmer of hope, no glimmer of compromise, no suggestion in the slightest way that he realises what he has done and the extent of the damage that he has caused by his illegal actions over recent months.

    Nothing in his speech, I fear, gives any hope of compromise or any suggestion that he is about to obey the Security Council Resolutions. I think this is an immense opportunity that has been lost; it has been lost and now it seems it has gone.

    There is no doubt whatsoever that Iraq is going to lose this conflict and that they will be despatched from Kuwait and that Kuwait will return back to its legal ownership. I had hoped that he might have announced – for he knows what is necessary – that he was going to adopt the Security Council Resolutions. Clearly he has not done so; there has been no suggestion of that at all and I regret that very much.

    QUESTION:

    Does this make a land war inevitable, Prime Minister?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    We propose to ensure that Kuwait is liberated. Unless Saddam Hussein does adopt the Security Council Resolutions in full, then there will be a land conflict.

    QUESTION:

    [Inaudible]

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I think Saddam Hussein has effectively said to the Soviet Union that he does not seem to regard their peace movements as satisfactory and in any event, as we made clear, in our view they fell a good deal short of the Security Council Resolutions that all the Allies have previously worked to.

    QUESTION:

    Prime Minister, it is clear now that the conflict must continue – that inevitably must include the possibility of a land war. Can you assure the families of those who may be called upon through their sons and daughters serving out there to suffer casualties, that every last chance was pursued to avert a land war?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Over the last few months, we have done everything we possibly could firstly to prevent the conflict beginning and secondly, as I think everyone will recognise, to minimise casualties, both military casualties on our side and civilian casualties in Iraq. It has been a very remarkable operation to do that. The bombing campaign is there to minimise any casualties that subsequently there will be if we yet come to a land conflict, so we will have very great care for the safety of our troops. That has been the position and will continue to be the position.

    QUESTION:

    Prime Minister, is it not the case that in his speech Saddam Hussein did in fact offer to withdraw from Kuwait and would that not be enough to avoid the bloodshed?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    He has made it perfectly clear I think, if one reads the whole of his speech – and it is in itself contradictory in some places – that any reasonable reading of his speech suggests no hint of compromise whatsoever, no acknowledgement of what he has done, no willingness to obey the Security Council Resolutions and nothing really that would bring this conflict to a conclusion.

    QUESTION:

    How ready do you think that the troops are and how decisive do you think the defeat is going to be that is going to be inflicted on Iraq?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    There is no doubt about the outcome of the conflict – there is absolutely no doubt about that at all: the Iraqis will lose. That, I think, has been clear for some time and is certainly crystal clear now.

    QUESTION:

    Do you see any merit in waiting to see what the Foreign Minister of Iraq says in private to the Soviet Union [indistinct] what the President said in the broadcast?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    If the Iraqis were going to accept and endorse the Security Council Resolutions, then I would have thought that Saddam Hussein would have taken the opportunity of saying that in his speech today. Quite clearly, he has not done so and in any event, I must repeat again that the proposals put forward by the Soviet Union fall a good deal short of the Security Council Resolutions.

    QUESTION:

    As one who may now be responsible for ordering, for agreeing to a further escalation of the conflict, are you easy in your own mind about taking that order?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    We have done everything we could to prevent this. What we must seek to do is to restore Kuwait to its rightful ownership and ensure that there is a durable peace and security in the Middle East. That is in everyone’s interest both in the short and the long term, and upon that reason I am content in my own mind that it is right.

    QUESTION:

    Prime Minister, have you reached the stage where the timing of the land battle is now a matter for the military commanders?

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I am not going to comment on the timing of the land battle. I do not think that would be at all wise.

    Thank you all very much indeed!

  • PMQT Written Answers – 21 February 1991

    Below is the text of the written answers relating to Prime Minister’s Question Time from 21st February 1991.

    PRIME MINISTER:

     

    Engagements

    Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 21 February.

    The Prime Minister : 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.

     

    The Gulf

    Mr. Wilson : To ask the Prime Minister (1) if he will place in the Library a copy of the translated text on which he based his initial response to the statement issued by the Iraqi Government on 15 February; (2) when he received an expert translation from the original of the statement put forward by the Iraqi Government on 15 February ; and if he will arrange for it to be placed in the Library.

    The Prime Minister : We received a copy of the full BBC translation of the Iraqi statement during the early afternoon of 15 February. This proved to be the same in all major respects as the English translation issued later by the Iraqi Government. Arrangements have been made for a copy of both texts to be placed in the Library of the House.

     

    Norwegian Prime Minister

    Mr. Flynn : To ask the Prime Minister what proposals were made by his Norwegian counterpart during their recent meeting ; and what response he made.

    The Prime Minister : I had discussions with Mrs. Brundtland on 13 February 1991 which covered a range of issues including developments in the Baltics, Europe and the Gulf.

     

    Hypothermia

    Mr. Allen : To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on Her Majesty’s Government’s progress in the last 10 years on achieving a co-ordinated policy for reducing hypothermia.

    The Prime Minister : There has been a significant overall decline in the levels of excess winter mortality (the difference between the number of deaths in the quarter from January to March and the quarter from July to September) between 1979 (47,311 deaths) and 1989 (23,853 deaths). In only a very small number of these was hypothermia identified as the underlying cause: 166 in 1989, plus an additional 209 cases where it was a contributory factor.

    While there is clearly a correlation between excess mortality and winter weather, the exact causes of increased deaths in winter are extremely complex. Factors include diet, alcohol intake, smoking, clothing (especially dressing appropriately when going out of doors in cold weather) and exercise, as well as adequate warmth in the home. The need for further research in this area is being investigated by the Medical Research Council.

    The improved figures in recent years are no doubt due in part to the progress we have been able to achieve through the collaborative efforts of Government, the statutory services and the voluntary sector, in the provision of community health and personal social services, as well as to the more general improvements in housing, social security benefits and overall standards of living.

     

    Arms Register

    Mr. Madden : To ask the Prime Minister what is the policy of Her Majesty’s Government towards the establishment by the United Nations of a register of arms ; and if he will make a statement.

    The Prime Minister : We are playing a full part in the United Nations study group set up to look at ways and means of promoting transparency in international transfers of conventional weapons, including the possibility of establishing a universal and non-discriminatory United Nations register. It is hoped that a report will be made to the United Nations Secretary-General later this year.

  • PMQT – 21 February 1991

    Below is the text of Prime Minister’s Question Time from 21st February 1991.

    PRIME MINISTER

     

    Engagements

    Q1. Mr. Viggers : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 21 February.

    The Prime Minister (Mr. John Major) : 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. Viggers : Bearing in mind the horrors that have been perpetrated in Kuwait, where thousands have been murdered and tortured, and bearing in mind also the awful nature of the weapons available to Saddam Hussein, does my right hon. Friend agree that there can be no doubt that the implementation of all the United Nations resolutions is both a just and a necessary cause? Does he also agree that since August Saddam Hussein has had every opportunity to withdraw from Kuwait, and that if a major land offensive should now be necessary our forces will carry with them the gratitude and good will of the entire nation?

    The Prime Minister : I very much agree with my hon. Friend. The only message that we wish to hear today is that Iraq is prepared to accept and implement all the Security Council resolutions in full and immediately. That is a message which can be given to us at any time. As I told the House on Tuesday, only when such a message is received and has begun to be implemented can there be an end to the conflict.

    Mr. Kinnock : Will the Prime Minister confirm that within the past 48 hours every one of the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council has made it crystal clear to Saddam Hussein yet again that if immediate and unconditional removal of all Iraqi forces were to take place the fighting could end? Does the Prime Minister agree that that is what the whole world wants–including, had they but the freedom to say it, the ordinary people of Iraq? Knowing that, is not it obvious that of all the many cruelties committed by Saddam Hussein, the greatest would be his failure to take the opportunity, which has always existed and still exists, to avert a major land battle and the great suffering that it would bring?

    The Prime Minister : It has certainly been made clear by the allies that we stand by the Security Council resolutions in full. As the House may know, I understand that, within the past few minutes, Saddam Hussein has begun broadcasting to Iraq. There is no indication yet of what he has said or what he will say, but I am bound to say that he preceded his broadcast with yet another Scud attack.

     

    Q2. Dr. Michael Clark : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 21 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Dr. Clark : Does my right hon. Friend agree that Britain is an inventive nation and that we maintain a strong science base? Will he, therefore, join me and other hon. Members from both sides of the House in congratulating the Royal Society of Chemistry on celebrating its 150th anniversary this year? Will he also pay tribute to the chemical industry, which contributes a balance of payments surplus of more than £2,000 million per annum to Britain?

    The Prime Minister : I am happy to do that. Only last Friday I had the pleasure of opening an innovative ICI factory in Runcorn in the north- west which will manufacture an alternative to CFCs–the first such factory in the world. The chemical industry has an impressive record both in investment in research and development and in the exploitation of that investment by our scientists. That is the basis of industry’s necessary recovery.

    Mr. Ashdown : Does the Prime Minister agree that no one, but no one, can relish the prospect of having to fight a land war in the Gulf, that even at the 11th hour every realistic avenue for peace ought to be pursued, but that we cannot allow ourselves to be distracted by cul-de-sac designed to delay the freedom of Kuwait? Will he confirm that the aim of the allies is not a temporary peace, leading to conflict later, but a durable, United Nations-based peace, a basic ingredient of which must be recognition of the legitimacy of Kuwait?

    The Prime Minister : I very much agree with the right hon. Gentleman, particularly about durability and security. There is no need for particular peace proposals. The peace proposals that we wish to hear are those that we have set out and agreed with our allies and others in the United Nations Security Council resolutions. That has been and remains the position. If Iraq is prepared to accept and implement those, the conditions exist for an end to the conflict. Without that, they do not exist.

    Mr. Barry Porter : Will my right hon. Friend take the opportunity today to congratulate the management and work force of the Rover Group on their contribution to the British export drive? Does he agree that the figures recently announced are self-evident proof that it was a very good deal between British Aerospace and Rover for the west midlands, the taxpayer and the country?

    The Prime Minister : There has been a remarkable renaissance in the motor car industry generally. That, of course, includes Rover.

     

    Q3. Mr. Lofthouse : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 21 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Lofthouse : Is the Prime Minister aware that West and South Yorkshire police and fire authorities are about to set their budgets this weekend for the forthcoming year? Is he also aware that the options before them are to do so in accordance with the Home Secretary’s guidelines, and thus maintain their present effective forces, or to set the budget according to the standard spending assessments of the Department of the Environment, which would result in the loss of hundreds of police and firemen’s jobs and consequently of services? Considering the increase in the crime rate and the ever-greater demands on the fire service, what advice does the right hon. Gentleman have for them?

    The Prime Minister : Like all authorities, this one must select its own priorities.

    Mr. William Powell : My right hon. Friend will be aware, not least from his knowledge of his own constituency, of the wonderful work done by many thousands of people working for village hall committees. Is he aware that, notwithstanding the marvellous efforts of our right hon. Friend the Member for St. Albans (Mr. Lilley) two years ago to protect village hall committees from some of the worst trepidations of EEC VAT directives, VAT remains a serious problem for them? Will he have a word with the Chancellor and encourage him to try to find a fiscal device to make life easier for those voluntary fund-raisers?

    The Prime Minister : It is not readily apparent what fiscal device my hon. Friend has in mind, but if he cares to suggest something I am sure that my right hon. Friend the Chancellor will examine it.

     

    Q4. Miss Hoey : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 21 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Lady to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Miss Hoey : Does the Prime Minister recall when he was a young man being a councillor in Ferndale ward in my constituency? Does he realise that this month there is 25 per cent. unemployment in Ferndale ward? Will he have time in the next couple of weeks to come and see the people there, many of whom have been out of work for more than two years, and tell them what more they can do to get jobs under the Conservative Government?

    The Prime Minister : While visiting Ferndale ward, which I had the privilege of representing for a period after 1968, I might also discuss with the people why, so many years later, nothing has been done by Lambeth council to improve their environment, their housing, their street cleaning or any of the other matters that concern them.

    Mr. Michael Brown : Does my right hon. Friend accept that the answers to any review of the community charge are staring us in the face from Westminster city hall? Would my right hon. Friend note that that council–a single-tier authority–has been able to reduce its community charge as a result of good housekeeping? Will my right hon. Friend ensure that Dame Shirley Porter is made a member of the Government review team immediately?

    The Prime Minister : We should be happy to have Dame Shirley’s advice on that or on many other matters and I am happy to congratulate Westminster city council on the community charge that it has levied. It is certainly an example to other authorities and I hope that they will follow that example.

     

    Q5. Mr. Bill Michie : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 21 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Michie : Does the Prime Minister agree that concern about loss of face, or part face, by any leader leading a nation involved in the Gulf war pales into insignificance when compared with the possible loss of life if a land war is embarked upon?

    The Prime Minister : Nobody wishes artificially to bring about a land war if it is avoidable. The hon. Gentleman should bear in mind who began this conflict, what the aims were and what is necessary both to end it and to ensure that there is a secure and durable peace, which means that conflict will not recommence at a later date. The hon. Gentleman should bear that in mind.

    Mr. Cash : When my right hon. Friend saw Chancellor Kohl the other day, did he discuss the German proposals for political union, which have now been submitted to the intergovernmental conference? Did he agree that those proposals were completely unworkable and that if they were put into effect they would mean, to all intents and purposes, the end of the Westminster Parliament?

    The Prime Minister : I discussed a range of matters with Chancellor Kohl. I did not discuss the letter which the French and the Germans put forward, although we discussed in general terms some of the matters related to both the economic and monetary union IGC and the political union IGC. I set out for Chancellor Kohl our concerns about those matters and the policies that we have set before the House.

     

    Q6. Mr. Michael : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 21 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Michael : On a day when the Government’s own gross domestic product figures have illustrated the depth of the recession and the frightening drop in production created by his policies as Chancellor and now as Prime Minister, will the right hon. Gentleman reflect on the stupidity of adding 6,000 experts on training the unemployed to the queues of unemployed? Opposition Members have lived with the misery caused by the Government for millions of people during the recession in the early 1980s. How does the right hon. Gentleman intend to prevent a repetition of that misery for millions in the 1990s?

    The Prime Minister : We have an excellent record on training, as the hon. Gentleman knows. As for economic circumstances in this country and elsewhere, the hon. Gentleman will know that three of the G7 countries are now officially in recession and two more have had a downturn in output. The hon. Gentleman imputes too much authority to me if he thinks that I am responsible for all that.

    Mr. Hill : Does my right hon. Friend agree that probably one of the biggest mistakes that the western alliance has made was to try to treat Saddam Hussein as though he were an honourable man when in fact his words are worthless? When my right hon. Friend next telephones President Bush, he may be able to tell him of some of the evidence that we have heard in the House about the human rights being destroyed in Kuwait and the genocide taking place there which must mean more and more deaths for the Kuwaitis every day.

    The Prime Minister : My hon. Friend expresses a view which is held by the vast majority of hon. Members in the House. There is no doubt that since 2 August the Iraqis have broken any number of international obligations and there must be some considerable concern about whether we can trust what is said to us by them.

     

    Q7. Mr. Loyden : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 21 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Loyden : Does the Prime Minister recall the statement that he made on 29 November following his election to his present position? He said then that he wanted to see a country at ease with itself. Does he believe that 2 million unemployed, the continuing decimation of our health service, the imposition of the hated poll tax and the current deepening recession represent a climate in which the people of this country can be at ease with themselves? Does he not now recognise that the only way to remove those problems is by the removal of the present Government?

    The Prime Minister : The hon. Gentleman is a class warrior who believes in conflict ; I am not. That is the difference between us.

     

    Q8. Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 21 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Marshall : Will my right hon. Friend tell the House and the country which five local authorities have the highest community charge, which five have the worst education results and which five have the largest rent arrears?

    The Prime Minister : I shall be happy to write to my hon. Friend will a detailed list of those authorities. I think that I can tell him now, however, that he will find no Conservative authorities among them, and an overwhelming predominance of Labour authorities, almost certainly including Brent, Camden and Lambeth.

  • PMQT Written Answers – 20 February 1991

    Below is the text of the written answers relating to Prime Minister’s Question Time from 20th February 1991.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Antarctic Minerals

    Mr. Cash : To ask the Prime Minister which Departments are involved in the review of policy towards Antarctic minerals, in addition to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

    The Prime Minister : The Departments of the Environment, of Trade and Industry and of Energy.

  • PMQT – 19 February 1991

    Below is the text of Prime Minister’s Question Time from 19th February 1991.

    PRIME MINISTER

     

    Engagements

    Q1. Mr. John Carlisle : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 19 February.

    The Prime Minister (Mr. John Major) : This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and 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 Her Majesty the Queen.

    Mr. Carlisle : Does my right hon. Friend agree that the one event in these troubled times that has given much pleasure to people, and especially to our troops in the Gulf, has been the comprehensive English rugby victory at Twickenham? In that context does he further agree that we should begin to think about providing them with some real opposition which can now come only from South Africa? Is my right hon. Friend encouraged by the meeting of Commonwealth Foreign Ministers at the weekend which virtually saw the beginning of the end of the infamous Gleneagles agreement? Will he take further initiatives to restore British-South African sporting relations?

    The Prime Minister : In answer to my hon. Friend’s first point, I am not sure that many Scots troops in the Gulf would necessarily agree with him. I recall occasions when both the Scots and the Welsh had rather too satisfactory results at Twickenham and elsewhere. I agree with my hon. Friend’s substantive point that the time has come to resume sporting links with South Africa in areas where there is now proper integration of sport within the Republic of South Africa. I have discussed that matter with other Commonwealth leaders and I hope to take it forward.

    Mr. Kinnock : The Secretary of State for Education and Science today said :

    “I’m not interested in proposals that transfer expenditure on education from the local taxpayer to central Government taxation”. Does the Prime Minister agree with his Secretary of State?

    The Prime Minister : As the right hon. Gentleman knows, we are examining a whole series of options in the community charge review. If the right hon. Gentleman will be patient we shall announce the result of that as soon as possible.

    Mr. Kinnock : But the Secretary of State could not have been clearer in ruling out the idea of transferring expenditure from local taxation to central taxation. Will the Prime Minister make his position clear on this aspect of concern? Does he support his Secretary of State for Education and Science?

    The Prime Minister : I shall make the position entirely clear on the matter under review when we have finished the review.

    Mr. Kinnock : Why does not the Prime Minister save a great deal of time and the country a huge amount of money by abolishing the poll tax and accepting the Labour party proposal for a modern system of fair rates? That is the best way to deal with the poll tax.

    The Prime Minister : I am sure that the whole country will have listened with interest to the right hon. Gentleman. What a shame that when he announced his proposals in Scotland they did not meet with the acclaim that he expected.

    Mr. Malins : My right hon. Friend will be aware that the man who was so cruelly murdered by the bomb at Victoria station yesterday came from Thornton Heath, which is in my constituency, and leaves a wife and baby son. Will my right hon. Friend send the sympathy of the whole House to that family, and can he assure us that no expense or effort will be spared, to bring the callous killers to justice?

    The Prime Minister : The whole House will share the views that have been expressed by my hon. Friend. I certainly offer to the family of the gentleman who was killed, and to all those who were injured, our very warmest sympathy. One is bound to ask what sort of people it is that can carry out attacks of this kind. They are certainly consumed with hate, and they are certainly sick of mind. And they can be certain of one thing–that they will be hunted and hunted until they are found.

     

    Q2. Mr. David Marshall : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 19 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Marshall : With unemployment soaring past 2 million, with record numbers of homeless people and home repossessions, with pensioners freezing to death because of his penny-pinching policies, is not the Prime Minister reminded of the tale of the king’s new clothes? Can he tell the House just what is different about his premiership, when it is apparent to all that, if he is not altogether naked, he is simply wearing the threadbare clothes of the previous Prime Minister?

    The Prime Minister : I am not entirely sure that they would wholly suit me. With regard to the hon. Gentleman’s substantive point, I have to say that he left something out of his catalogue. For example, he omitted the work on the £55 million programme to transform a rundown area of Glasgow’s east end. I should have thought that he would know about that. He also forgot that that programme will create 1,000 jobs in that part of Glasgow.

    Mr. Gale : My right hon. Friend is aware of the level of public concern that has been expressed about media coverage of Gulf events– particularly reports from Baghdad. Does he agree that it is not incumbent upon either the BBC or ITN to sink to the levels of some foreign news organisations? Is not it particularly important at this time, when the wives and families of service men are watching television, that every effort should be made to ensure that the public are made well aware that any report coming out of Iraq is subject to very severe censorship?

    The Prime Minister : I think it is clear to people that reports coming out of Baghdad are subject to censorship, and I hope that the BBC and the other transmission channels will make that clear on every occasion.

     

    Q4. Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 19 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Livingstone : In the light of the news from Moscow that President Gorbachev has given Saddam Hussein 48 hours to reply to his peace proposals, can the Prime Minister assure the House that no ground war will be launched by the coalition while those negotiations continue?

    The Prime Minister : I do not think that the hon. Gentleman can seriously expect me, on this occasion or on any other occasion, to give information of a military sort. Certainly I can confirm that President Gorbachev sent to me late last night the proposals that he had put to Tariq Aziz.

     

    Q5. Dame Elaine Kellett-Bowman : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 19 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Dame Elaine Kellett-Bowman : Has my right hon. Friend seen this excellent report of the North Western regional health authority, a copy of which I sent him? If so, he will have noted that the health authorities of Lancaster and Blackpool top the league in the immunisation against diphtheria of children under two. Those districts also have the lowest rates of death from cancer at all ages.

    Will my right hon. Friend join me in congratulating all those concerned– the administrators, the doctors, the nurses, the ancillary staff and all others involved–on their splendid team effort?

    The Prime Minister : Yes, I have seen the brochure that my hon. Friend sent me. I congratulate all those concerned in the Blackpool and Lancaster districts on their achievement in respect of immunisation rates and the low rates of death from cancer. The national target for immunisation is 90 per cent., and that has been achieved. It is worth mentioning that the accelerated immunisation schedule for younger children and the introduction of the new GPs’ contract should further improve the immunisation uptake figures nationwide. It is becoming clear that the health reforms are improving preventive medicine in a remarkable way.

    Mr. Kirkwood : Has the Prime Minister had a chance to study reports in today’s press on the progress made to date on the internal Government review of the poll tax? Is he aware that those reports imply that no one involved in those review negotiations is in favour of the Government retaining the poll tax? If that is true, does not the right hon. Gentleman have a duty to make an early statement to the House and the country that, whatever options are still being considered, the poll tax is now well and truly ruled out?

    The Prime Minister : We will make a statement at the end of our review and not before.

     

    Q6. Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 19 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Greenway : Is my right hon. Friend aware that his commitment to an excellent education for all our children is widely supported and welcomed throughout the House and the nation? To that end, is he pleased that Her Majesty’s inspectors’ report shows that the first year of national curriculum maths is going extremely well for five and 11-year-olds and throughout the age range, and that children and teachers are working well to achieve that? Will my right hon. Friend congratulate them?

    The Prime Minister : Yes, I am happy to do as my hon. Friend suggests. The report demonstrates that the national curriculum has stimulated a range of improvements in schools and that teachers have worked hard to take advantage of the opportunities. That can be only to the benefit of the children and I look to see it continue.

     

    Q7. Ms. Primarolo : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 19 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Lady to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Ms. Primarolo : Given the expected statement this afternoon by the Secretary of State for the Environment giving poll tax exemption to forces serving in the Gulf, will the Prime Minister this afternoon agree to extend exemption from this vicious tax to all deserving groups, such as the nurses?

    The Prime Minister : The hon. Lady and her colleagues will carry more weight on the community charge matter when all of them pay their community charge and their fair share of local government taxation. I have no doubt that the hon. Lady has already done so. [ Hon. Members :– “She has not.”] I note that the hon. Lady has not and I hope that others will have noted that, too.

    Ms. Primarolo : The right hon. Gentleman is wrong. I have paid my poll tax.

    The Prime Minister : The community charge reduction scheme will help 18 million people who face community charge bills.

     

    Q8. Mr. Knowles : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 19 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Knowles : Despite the scaremongering from some local authorities, I welcome the community charge relief scheme, but will my right hon. Friend comment on the effects of that scheme throughout the country? If he had available the figures for Nottingham in particular, I and my constituents would welcome them.

    The Prime Minister : As my hon. Friend knows, the community charge reduction scheme will make a significant difference to a large number of people this year with more than 18 million people being eligible for rebates under it. If Nottingham city council sets the same level next year as it did this year, a couple living in an averagely-rated property would receive a reduction of £238 between them.

    Mr. Turner : Will the Prime Minister comment on the recent statement by the hon. Member for Harlow (Mr. Hayes) that unless substantial funds are made available to the NHS before the end of the financial year, elderly people and people from other groups might die? Does the right hon. Gentleman agree with that statement? [Interruption.]

    Mr. Speaker : Order. I did not hear that.

    The Prime Minister : The hon. Gentleman will be pleased to know that my hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Mr. Hayes) sitting behind me says that he said no such thing.

     

    Q9. Dame Jill Knight : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 19 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Dame Jill Knight : Has the Prime Minister any up-to-date knowledge of the British airmen who were shot down or who ejected over enemy territory? Will he assure the House that any peace terms that are accepted will include as a priority the return of those airmen unharmed?

    The Prime Minister : I wish that I could say to my hon. Friend that I had the information that she seeks. We have tried repeatedly but thus far have had no success in getting it. I share my hon. Friend’s great concern about Iraq’s failure to fulfil its commitments under the Geneva convention and to grant the Red Cross access to prisoners of war. We remain in constant touch with the International Committee of the Red Cross and are urging it to do everything possible to get Iraq to live up to its obligations. I agree very much with my hon. Friend that the immediate release of prisoners of war, including our airmen, must be part of any ceasefire.

     

    Q10. Mr. Strang : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 19 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Strang : If President Saddam Hussein responds to the Soviet peace initiative with an undertaking to withdraw all his forces from Kuwait unconditionally, does the Prime Minister agree that the allies should respond by stopping the bombing and halting moves towards a ground war in Kuwait?

    The Prime Minister : We are all aware that proposals have been put by President Gorbachev to Iraq. I confirmed that to the House earlier. In his message President Gorbachev specifically asked me to keep the proposals confidential. Therefore, upon those I can offer no substantial comment. In any case, as the hon. Gentleman intimated, we have to bear it in mind that it is the Iraqis who have been asked to respond, not us. We await a response from them. Nothing has yet happened which would incline us to agree to a ceasefire or a pause in the conflict. If Saddam Hussein wants to avoid a land battle, he knows what he must do : he has to withdraw unconditionally and immediately from Kuwait and implement the Security Council resolutions in full. Unless and until he does that, the conflict will continue.

  • PMQT Written Answers – 18 February 1991

    Below is the text of the written answers relating to Prime Minister’s Question Time from 18th February 1991.

    PRIME MINISTER:

     

    The Gulf

    Mr. Cohen : To ask the Prime Minister what consideration Her Majesty’s Government gives to public opinion on the Gulf war; and how Her Majesty’s Government-imposed reporting restrictions relate to this.

    The Prime Minister : Support from the British public remains very strong for the actions being taken by the allies to liberate Kuwait in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions. The Government’s policy is to allow all reasonable freedom and access for reporting, subject only to constraints essential to protect the safety of coalition forces and the security of allied operations.

    Mr. Marlow : To ask the Prime Minister what is his intention with regard to the award of a Gulf campaign medal.

    The Prime Minister : The question of an appropriate medal for those serving in the Gulf is under consideration.

  • PMQT Written Answers – 15 February 1991

    Below is the text of the written answers relating to Prime Minister’s Question Time from 15th February 1991.

    PRIME MINISTER:

     

    Coastal Zone

    Ms. Walley : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list all Government Departments and non-departmental public bodies with an interest in the coastal zone.

    The Prime Minister : All Government Departments may have an interest in the coast or coastal waters in the exercise of their normal duties. The same will apply to many non-departmental public bodies.

     

    Secure Accommodation

    Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Prime Minister which Department will be responsible for funding the new Social Services Department secure units required under the proposals to abolish prison remand of juveniles.

    The Prime Minister : The Department of Health already has powers to make grants to local authorities to meet the capital cost of new secure units, and intends to meet the local authority associations to discuss the nature and extent of any further secure provision required for remanded juveniles.

  • Mr Major’s Comments on Saddam Hussein – 15 February 1991

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s comments on Saddam Hussein, made in Merseyside on Friday 15th February 1991.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    As further details have become apparent throughout the day, it has become crystal clear that there seems to be a very large number of conditions attached to the apparent offer that had come out of Baghdad early this morning. That is very disappointing but it does look as though it is not a serious attempt to reach a conclusion but something of a bogus sham. That seems to be apparent and the more we learn about what has been said, the more that seems to be the case. I regret that very much but I fear that is the only conclusion that we are able to draw from what we have heard thus far.

  • PMQT Written Answers – 14 February 1991

    Below is the text of the written answers relating to Prime Minister’s Question Time from 14th February 1991.

    PRIME MINISTER:

     

    The Gulf

    Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Prime Minister what communications he has had with King Hussein of Jordan since 6 February concerning the situation in the Gulf.

    The Prime Minister : We are in continuing contact with the Jordanian Government. We have made clear our regret at King Hussein’s misleading description of coalition objectives and activities in his 6 February speech to his people. I last communicated directly with King Hussein on 3 January, when I met him in London.

     

    Saddam Hussein

    Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Prime Minister who was the last Minister to meet President Saddam Hussein; and what matters were discussed.

    The Prime Minister : My right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Putney (Mr. Mellor), the then Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, met President Saddam Hussein on 24 February 1988. A number of regional and bilateral issues were discussed.

     

    Engagements

    Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 14 February.

    The Prime Minister : 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.

  • PMQT – 14 February 1991

    Below is the text of Prime Minister’s Question Time from 14th February 1991.

    PRIME MINISTER

     

    Engagements

    Q1. Sir Hal Miller : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 14 February.

    The Prime Minister (Mr. John Major) : This morning I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others.

    Sir Hal Miller : Does my right hon. Friend agree that reductions in interest rates following a fall in inflation will sharpen the already competitive position of our motor industry which increased exports last year by 18 per cent? Are not rising exports, rising investment and increased skill levels proof positive that we are achieving what Labour claims to want, and that we should stick with our policies, rather than cut and run?

    The Prime Minister : I can scarcely disagree with my hon. Friend. The motor industry has a very impressive export record, which is a tribute to good design, increasing competitiveness and the increasing work rate of employees in the industry.

    Mr. Kinnock : Will the Prime Minister take this opportunity to explain to the 110,000 people who lost their jobs in the course of the last month that they did so as a direct result of his incompetent economic policy?

    The Prime Minister : It is interesting that during the 40 months in which unemployment fell, month after month after month, the right hon. Gentleman made no mention of this matter. I regret the rise in unemployment, but the right hon. Gentleman will have to concede that the level of unemployment in this country, at 6.6 per cent., is not only well below the European Community average but very well below the average levels of most of our European partners.

    Mr. Kinnock : Today’s figures show the biggest January rise in unemployment since 1981–the time of the last Tory slump. When the Conservatives have done this twice in a decade–regardless of who has been the leader, or who the Chancellor–is it any wonder that they will always be known as the party of unemployment?

    The Prime Minister : The right hon. Gentleman may find it difficult to explain the following unemployment rates : 9 per cent. in France, 9.9 per cent. in Italy, 9.3 per cent. in Canada, and 6.6 per cent. here. He may also have overlooked the fact that there has been a considerable rise in the number of job vacancies.

    Mr. Kinnock : Perhaps the Prime Minister–who is the Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, not of France–will explain why, if Tory policies are to work, hundreds of thousands of people have to stop working.

    The Prime Minister : The right hon. Gentleman’s track record on such predictions is simply not good. He will recall predicting that mass unemployment of 6 million was inevitable. It was not, and his predictions now are wrong.

    Sir Anthony Grant : When my right hon. Friend reflects today on the position in the Gulf, will he consider that a dictator like Saddam Hussein, who has been unscrupulous enough to murder his own people over several years, will probably have no scruples about allowing innocent people to suffer in a bombing raid for propaganda purposes? Does my right hon. Friend agree that the tragic event in Baghdad and the sad loss of life should not mean that a single allied soldier should be put at risk by a premature land assault?

    The Prime Minister : As my hon. Friend knows, we shall consider very carefully when it is right to launch a land assault. The position in that regard remains as I have described to the House in the past. Everyone regrets the death of civilians, particularly in the tragic circumstances of the past few hours. But the United States has explained why it attacked that particular site : it did so on the basis of an assessment that showed that it was a legitimate military target, which played a part in the Iraqi war effort.

    Mr. Ashdown : Does the Prime Minister agree that, in considering the lessons of the terrible tragedy that took place in Baghdad last night, we should not forget that Saddam Hussein has, not through inadvertence, but through acts of deliberate policy, killed more Muslims than any other living person? Does he also agree that, as the terrible toll of the war rises, so should our determination to build a just and durable peace to follow it?

    Will the Prime Minister answer the question that I fear he dodged last week and say whether he is prepared to give the United Nations, in whose name we are fighting the war, the lead role in building the peace that follows?

    The Prime Minister : I agree with the observations that the right hon. Gentleman made at the outset of his question. To avoid doubt, I shall repeat the point that the allies are not targeting civilians, unlike Saddam Hussein, who continues to fire missiles wholly indiscriminately at built-up population centres. On the subject of the United Nations, clearly we must consider with all our colleagues in the allied forces, particularly the Arab states upon and around whose lands the conflict is taking place, how to proceed at the end of the conflict.

    Mr. Dykes : Will my right hon. Friend accept the congratulations of the House on his successful visit to Germany on Monday? If he will forgive the pun, far from being a “brugeing” experience, it was a successful visit, both bilaterally and in terms of the resuscitation of European solidarity?

    The Prime Minister : I am grateful to my hon. Friend. It is important to ensure that we play a leading part in the centre of the Community, which means that we have the closest possible bilateral contact with all our European partners.

     

    Q2. Mr. Nellist : To ask the Prime Minister if the will list his official engagements for Thursday 14 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Nellist : Was yesterday’s massacre of women and children in Amiriya a good example, under the 1977 Geneva protocol, of precision targeting of the right or wrong target? Was not the burning and lasceration of those children’s bodies, to correctly use a military euphemism, the degrading of nobody in Baghdad but of those in whose name that slaughter took place?

    The Prime Minister : The hon. Gentleman puts the matter with his customary bad taste and inaccuracy. As I explained a moment ago, there has been precision bombing, and that site was bombed because there was legitimate reason to believe that it was a military target.

     

    Q3. Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 14 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. David Nicholson : My right hon. Friend will be aware of the concern at the advertising and the unsolicited temptations to borrow pursued by banks and other lenders in recent years, for which many businesses and many individuals are now paying a painful price. As interest rates come down, will my right hon. Friend use his influence as Prime Minister, as former Chancellor and as a former banker to impress on the banking industry the need for responsible lending–and will he consider what role the Government might play in that?

    The Prime Minister : I have done as my hon. Friend suggests. My views on this subject are well known. I am very glad to see that the banks and building societies are addressing the issue of the marketing and provision of credit. As the banks have freely acknowledged, the code that they have covers only banks and building societies. That is why, in December, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry issued a consultative document proposing a number of specific changes to tighten the law on consumer credit. These measures will have a wider field of application than just banks and building societies.

     

    Q4. Ms. Armstrong : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 14 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Lady to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Ms. Armstrong : Did the Prime Minister notice the figures published yesterday that show that the top 20 local education authorities providing nursery education are Labour, and the bottom 20 are Tory? Given the abysmal performance of Tory authorities, when the Secretary of State for Education and Science two weeks ago abandoned any commitment to the expansion of nursery education, did he have the Prime Minister’s approval?

    The Prime Minister : The hon. Lady should look at the whole provision of education services throughout the country, and if she is looking at lists of the top and the bottom authorities she should also look at the authorities with the highest community charges.

     

    Q5. Mr. Robert G. Hughes : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 14 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Hughes : Will my right hon. Friend take time today to send a message of congratulations to the voluntary bodies and statutory agencies that have worked so hard during the past few days to provide shelter for the homeless in London? Will he note the comments of the deputy director of Shelter, who said the other day that the arrangements made were magnificent and excellent?

    The Prime Minister : I am happy to join my hon. Friend in congratulating all those involved–particularly the voluntary organisations that have co-operated so willingly with my hon. Friend the Minister for Housing and Planning. As a result of that swift response there should be no need for anyone to sleep rough on the streets of London during this period of extreme bad weather.

     

    Q6. Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 14 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Foulkes : What is the Prime Minister going to do now that John Yates, the highly respected NHS management consultant appointed by the Government to advise on reducing waiting lists, has resigned, describing the Government’s policy, of spending £100 million to find out that waiting lists have increased, as a total waste of money? Would not it be better to sack the Secretary of State for Health and keep Mr. Yates?

    The Prime Minister : As it happens, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health invited Mr. Yates to see him to discuss the reduction in waiting lists. Mr. Yates refused.

     

    Q7. Mr. Hague : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 14 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Hague : Will my right hon. Friend take time today to reflect on the successful expansion of higher education under this Administration? Are not the one in five school leavers going into further and higher education, compared with the miserable one in eight when Labour was in power, a crucial part of building a better trained and educated workforce? Are not this Government providing the resources for that?

    The Prime Minister : Indeed they are. My hon. Friend is right and I entirely agree with his remarks about the importance of higher education– both universities and polytechnics–and the role that they are playing in trying to equip our young people for a better start in life.

    Mr. Andrew Welsh : Is the Prime Minister truly aware of the crisis facing agriculture, with farm incomes at their lowest in real terms since the second world war and record numbers leaving the industry? Why then is the Ministry of Defence supplying Argentine and Uruguayan beef to British forces in the Gulf when British cold stores are jam packed with intervention beef, subsidised and paid for by British taxpayers? Will the right hon. Gentleman assist taxpayers, the armed forces and agriculture by sorting that out?

    The Prime Minister : It is because of such absurdities that we are keen to see a proper reform of the common agricultural policy. My right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has made it clear that that is a top priority for us and we shall seek to negotiate it with our colleagues in Europe.

     

    Q8. Mr. Riddick : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 14 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Riddick : Does my right hon. Friend agree that today’s problems of homelessness have been caused, first, by the way in which the private rented sector has been regulated almost out of existence and, secondly, by the incompetence of many local authorities, mainly Labour controlled, which have more than 100,000 vacant council houses up and down the country? [Interruption.] Will my right hon. Friend take this opportunity to confirm that the Government will take the necessary radical action to free and deregulate the private rented sector in order to bring many hundreds of thousands of empty flats and rooms back on to the market?

    The Prime Minister : Nothing could better have illustrated the Opposition’s hostility to the private rented sector than their activities while my hon. Friend asked his question. It was absurd that the private rented sector was declining and properties were left empty because of rent control. We have introduced to the subsidy arrangements all sorts of incentives to encourage local authorities to bring properties into use. We continue to examine further ways to stimulate the private sector.

     

    Q9. Mr. David Marshall : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 14 February.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Marshall : What does the Prime Minister have to say to the record number of 40,000 home owners who had their homes repossessed during the past 12 months as a result of his high interest rates policy? What advice does he give those people?

    The Prime Minister : All repossessions are a tragedy for those who are involved. The hon. Gentleman should bear it in mind that repossessions account for less than one fifth of 1 per cent. of home owners and that the overwhelming majority of those are as a result of marriage breakdown.