The Rt. Hon. Sir John Major KG CH

Category: Prime Minister (1990-1997)

  • PMQT Written Answers – 22 July 1993

    Below is the text of the written answers relating to Prime Minister’s Question Time from 22nd July 1993.

    PRIME MINISTER:

     

    Bermuda

    Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he has had with the Bermuda Government about bringing the law on consensual sexual relations between adult men in private into line with the legislative position in Britain.

    The Prime Minister : This is primarily a matter for the Government of Bermuda.

     

    Ministerial Advisers

    Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 18 November, Official Report, column 216, if he will publish the current list of special advisers attached to Ministers stating the Minister they work for, the date of their appointment and the name of their previous employer before their initial appointment as a special adviser attached to a Minister.

    The Prime Minister [holding answer 20 July 1993] : There are currently 41 special advisers attached to Ministers. The names of the advisers, the Ministers they work for, the date of the appointment and the name of their previous employer before their initial appointment as a special adviser is as follows :

    Name |Minister(s) served |Date of appointment |Previous employer

    ———————————————————————————————————————————————–

    1. Adams |Secretary of State for the Environment |28 May 1993 |Rt. Hon. John Gummer
    2. Barnes |Secretary of State for Social Security |3 May 1993 |Boston Consulting Group
    3. Blunt |Secretary of State for Defence |15 February 1993 |PI Political Consultants

    Sir R. Braithwaite* |Prime Minister |1 June 1992 |Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    1. Burke* |Secretary of State for the Environment |10 April 1992 |Green Alliance
    2. Caine |Secretary of State for Northern Ireland |17 June 1992 |Conservative Central Office
    3. Cameron |Jointly to the three Ministers of State and |21 June 1993 |Conservative Central Office

    the Under Secretary of State in the Home Office

    Dr. E. Cottrell |Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food |27 May 1993 |Conservative Central Office

    Dr. W. Eltis* |President of the Board of Trade |1 January 1993 |National Economic Development Office

    Sir C. Foster* |Secretary of State for Transport |1 June 1992 |Coopers and Lybrand Deloitte

    1. Fraser |Minister of State for Overseas Development |10 April 1992 |Conservative Central Office
    2. Grantham |Secretary of State for Education |11 April 1992 |Westminster Briefing
    3. Gray |Jointly to the Ministers for Local |27 May 1993 |GNI Ltd.

    Government and Inner Cities; Environment and Countryside and Housing and Planning

    1. Green |Prime Minister |1 June 1992 |Business Television

    Professor P. Hall* |Secretary of State for Environment |27 May 1993 |University of California

    Mrs. S. Hogg |Prime Minister |10 April 1992 |Daily and Sunday Telegraph

    Ms S. Hole |Chief Whip |13 April 1992 |Lord Rothschild

    1. Kemp* |President of the Board of Trade |28 May 1992 |CDP Nexus Ltd.

    Mrs. T. Keswick |Chancellor of the Exchequer |28 May 1993 |Cluff Investments and Trading

    Mrs. E. Laing |Secretary of State for Transport |13 April 1992 |Shopping Hours Reform Council

    1. Leggett* |Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food |21 June 1993 |National Farmers Union
    2. Loehnis |Secretary of State for National Heritage |7 November 1992 |Sunday Telegraph
    3. Mackay |Secretary of State for Scotland |8 May 1992 |Pieda plc
    4. MacLay |Secretary of State for Foreign and |19 July 1993 |The European

    | Commonwealth Affairs

    1. Marsh |Secretary of State for Health |21 April 1992 |Conservative Central Office

    Ms S. McEwen |Chief Whip (House of Lords) |29 June 1992 |Namara Cowan Ltd.

    1. McManus |Secretary of State for Employment |28 May 1993 |Conservative Central Office

    Dr. J. Nicholson* |Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster |1 September 1992 |John Nicholson Associates Ltd.

    Sir I. Pearce* |Secretary of State for Transport |16 June 1992 |Richard Ellis and English Estates

    Lord Poole |Prime Minister |13 May 1992 |James Capel

    Mrs. K. Ramsay |Prime Minister |2 June 1992 |Conservative Central Office

    1. Rock |Home Secretary |28 May 1993 |Conservative Central Office
    2. Rosling |Prime Minister |10 April 1992 |Hanson plc
    3. Ruffley |Financial Secretary |28 May 1993 |Clifford Chance
    4. Salmon* |Secretary of State for Transport |18 January 1993 |Cuff & Co. Ltd. and Fund Holdings Ltd.
    5. Stewart |Lord President |27 April 1992 |Conservative Central Office

    Lady Strathnaver |President of the Board of Trade |21 April 1992 |Haymarket Publishing Services Ltd.

    1. Swift* |Secretary of State for Transport |18 January 1993 |Barrister
    2. True |Prime Minister |10 April 1992 |Public Policy Unit
    3. Wilton |Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster |27 April 1992 |Conservative Central Office
    4. Young |Secretary of State for Scotland |8 May 1992 |-

    * Special advisers fall into two categories, political and those with specialised expertise relevant to their appropriate Secretary of State. The latter are indicated by an asterisk.

     

    Engagements

    Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 22 July.

    Sir Peter Tapsell : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 22 July.

    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 this House, I shall be having further meetings later today.

     

    Olympic Bid

    Mr. Vaz : To ask the Prime Minister how many times (1) he has met the leaders of Manchester city council to discuss the bid to stage the Olympic games; (2) how much financial support the Government have committed to the Manchester bid to stage the Olympics; and how much money has so far been paid over.

    The Prime Minister : I have met the leader of Manchester city council with other members of the bid committee three times to discuss the British Olympic bid; I launched the formal bid document with the committee at Downing street on 17 February; and I have met them informally on a number of other occasions.

    Up to £75 million has been made available by the Government for the bid itself and for the construction of key facilities. Of that, some £22 million has been spent to date. If the bid is successful, the Government will ensure that all the necessary facilities are built by a mixture of private and public finances and that the funding necessary to stage and organise the games is provided.

     

    Meetings

    Mr. Vaz : To ask the Prime Minister when he last met (a) Sheikh Zayed of Abu Dhabi and (b) the Pakistan high commissioner to the Court of St James.

    The Prime Minister : I last met Sheikh Zayed of Abu Dhabi on 25 July 1989 when I was Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. I last met the Pakistan high commissioner on 29 March this year.

     

    Yugoslavia

    Mr. Wareing : To ask the Prime Minister what pressures Her Majesty’s Government are putting on the Government of Bosnia-Herzegovina to attend and fully co-operate with the peace talks in Geneva; and if he will make a statement.

    The Prime Minister : We are encouraging the Bosnian presidency to engage in direct negotiations with the other parties under the auspices of Lord Owen and Mr. Stoltenberg. We have repeatedly made clear that a lasting and equitable peace can be achieved only by a negotiated settlement freely agreed by all three parties. We will not accept a territorial solution for Bosnia dictated by the Serbs and Croats at the expense of the Bosnian Muslims.

     

    Wild Birds

    Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Prime Minister (1) what plans he has to discuss the EC directive on the conservation of wild birds at the forthcoming United Kingdom/French summit; and if he will make representations to the French Government over the fulfilment of the directive’s protection for migratory birds from netting, shooting and trapping; (2) what discussions he has had with the Prime Minister of France concerning the requirements under the EC directive on the conservation of wild birds to control the hunting and shooting of wild birds.

    The Prime Minister : I am not aware of any proposals by the French Government for the amendment to the birds directive. Nor do I expect the matter to be raised at the meeting between Heads of State currently planned. There have been discussions by EC Environment Ministers on proposals by the Commission to amend annex III of the directive, but no agreement has yet been reached.

     

    Security Service

    Mr. Allason : To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the directive circulated to former members of the security service regarding the biographer of the late Sir Dick White.

    The Prime Minister : There is no authorised biographer of Sir Dick White. Although the Government have recently taken a number of significant steps towards greater openness for the security and intelligence services, they continue to attach the highest importance to maintaining the principle that members and former members of those services are under a lifelong duty of confidence to the Crown in relation to information deriving from their employment.

  • PMQT – 22 July 1993

    Below is the text of Prime Minister’s Question Time from 22nd July 1993.

    PRIME MINISTER:

     

    Engagements

    Q1. Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 22 July.

    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. Hinchliffe : Is it not a fact that the Government’s position on the social chapter is totally at odds with the views and real interests of the British people? If the Prime Minister loses the vote tonight, will he do the honourable thing : resign, go to the country and let the people decide?

    The Prime Minister : That was a brave stab in the dark at the beginning of Question Time. I think that the hon. Gentleman is entirely wrong about the social chapter. Perhaps I may quote to him what the president of the Council of British Chambers of Commerce in Europe has said of the social chapter that, if it were enacted, it “would result in the closure of many small and medium-sized businesses, creating even higher unemployment”.

    I am sure that the hon. Gentleman would not wish to see that in his constituency or any other.

     

    Q2. Mr. David Atkinson : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 22 July.

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

    Mr. Atkinson : Does my right hon. Friend agree that the figures released yesterday, which show that retail sales are now at a record high level, are good news for British high streets and further evidence that our economy is recovering and that prosperity and confidence are being restored?

    The Prime Minister : I believe that it is good news for everyone, not just retailers. Retail sales were up 1 per cent. in June, up yet again to another record level, and have been on an upward trend for more than a year. They follow a run of good economic figures and are further compelling evidence of the fact that we are coming out of recession into recovery, with sharply brighter prospects than many imagined some weeks ago.

    Mr. John Smith : Following the collapse of Astra Training Services less than three years after the privatisation of the skill centre network, what do the Government intend to do to clear up the shambles that privatisation has caused to skill training?

    The Prime Minister : I think that the right hon. and learned Gentleman is wholly wrong about the position of skill training in this country and about privatisation. One of the matters that the President of the French Republic will wish to discuss with me next Monday is the success of our privatisation programme, as there are plans to introduce a similar programme in France.

    Mr. Smith : Bearing in mind that Group 4 recently delivered a prisoner to a museum instead of a court, does the Prime Minister think that it might be time to review the mania for privatisation?

    The Prime Minister : I know that the right hon. and learned Gentleman would like the Government to own everything, control everything and determine everything, but we believe in private enterprise, private ownership and privatisation, which has served this country well. Although the British Labour party does not like it, countries all around the world are following the privatisation trail blazed by the Conservative party in the 1980s.

    Mr. John Townend : Does my right hon. Friend agree that the Government today face two problems–first, the budget deficit and, secondly, over-regulation, much of which comes from Europe and which is destroying many of our small businesses? Will he make an announcement that will help both those problems and announce a reduction of 10 per cent. in the number of inspectors, which would not only save money, but would show that the Government are serious in reducing the burden of regulation on business?

    The Prime Minister : I do not have an announcement to make of precisely the sort urged on me by my hon. Friend, but we are looking at regulation–domestic regulation, European regulation and the enforcement of regulation in this country–in order to reduce the burdens on businesses, both large and small. Regulation has got out of any reasonable context, there is a need for action, and we propose to take it.

    Mr. Ashdown : Are Her Majesty’s Government prepared to allow the city of Sarajevo to fall to the Serbs?

    The Prime Minister : The right hon. Gentleman is well aware of what I have said to the House on a number of occasions. He may be an enthusiast for putting British troops in the middle of Bosnia ; I am not.

    Mr. Devlin : Has my right hon. Friend seen today’s survey by the Association of British Chambers of Commerce and the Lloyd’s bank commercial service review, which show that in 180,000 firms throughout the country confidence and orders are improving, output is up and investment is being generated? Is that not a massive vote of confidence in Her Majesty’s Government’s economic policies?

    The Prime Minister : Yes, I have seen that survey and I agree that its message is very encouraging. I am delighted that the good news seems to be shared by both service and manufacturing industries. They have gone to great efforts to shake off the problems of recession. It is now clear that economic recovery is under way–there has been no help from the Labour party, but recovery is nevertheless under way.

     

    Q3. Mr. Byers : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 22 July.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Byers : Can the Prime Minister tell the House of any occasion on which a Government have ratified an international treaty against the wishes of the House of Commons? Does he agree that a Government adopting such a course of action would deservedly lose the confidence not just of the House but of the whole country, and would not such a Government rightly stand condemned for acting as an elected dictatorship?

    The Prime Minister : On the understanding that the hon. Gentleman is talking about a contemporary treaty, may I say that the Act carrying that treaty into law has been passed with massive majorities on Second and Third Readings, both here and in the House of Lords.

    Mr. Spring : When my right hon. Friend meets the French Prime Minister on Monday, will he congratulate him on the launch of the French privatisation programme? Will he assure him that privatised companies are better companies once the dead hand of state control has been removed?

    The Prime Minister : I entirely share my hon. Friend’s view, which is increasingly shared by companies, countries and Governments in every part of the world.

     

    Q4. Ms Short : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 22 July.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave some moments ago.

    Ms Short : Is the Prime Minister aware that an all-party group of which I was a member went to visit the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation headquarters recently and were told that preparations are being made for the implementation of the United Nations Security Council resolution on safe areas, which only requires 8,000 troops and changes in the rules of engagement? That has not been done and Sarajevo will fall. Has not the Prime Minister allowed that to happen?

    The Prime Minister : As the hon. Lady knows, we have had a substantial troop presence in Bosnia for some time. A large number of other countries said in the past that they may be prepared also to put troops into Bosnia. We have made our contribution. A large number of other countries were signatories to that particular Security Council resolution. I think that it is right for them also to make their contribution to the collective carrying out of that resolution.

     

    Q6. Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 22 July.

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

    Mrs. Gorman : Does my right hon. Friend agree that the social chapter issue is a red herring and that if we sign up to Maastricht the European Court will have the power to impose the conditions on us, whether we vote in this House for them or not, and that therefore those people who do not want the social chapter conditions should vote tonight to try to defeat the ratification of the Maastricht treaty?

    The Prime Minister : This is one of those rare occasions when I am unable to share a view with my hon. Friend. I believe that she is entirely wrong and I hope that she will reconsider her position before 10 o’clock. [Interruption.]

    Madam Speaker : Order. Save that for later.

    Mr. Patchett : Given that the Prime Minister has informed us of his official engagements for today, can he inform the House of his plans for tomorrow?

    The Prime Minister : I am looking forward to tomorrow immensely.

     

    Q7. Mr. Simon Coombs : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 22 July.

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

    Mr. Coombs : My right hon. Friend will have seen yesterday’s trade figures, which show that our exports to non EC countries have improved once again and are hitting record levels, and that our trade gap has narrowed for the fourth consecutive month. Are not those figures the clearest possible evidence of the underlying strength of British industry and of the rapidly improving strength of the British economy?

    The Prime Minister : I think that my hon. Friend is right, both on the specifics of exports and on the general point. [Interruption.] Exports to non-Community countries were up 15 per cent. last year. [Interruption.] That is a real credit to British industry. [Interruption.]

    Madam Speaker : Order. The House must settle down now.

    The Prime Minister : That is a real credit to British industry. [Interruption.]

    Madam Speaker : Order. The House is using up valuable time. Members are waiting to put important questions to the Prime Minister.

    The Prime Minister : I am delighted to see the support for British exporters. British industry is becoming more competitive and I think that British industry can take great credit for it.

    Mr. Barron : Can the Prime Minister tell us whether he believes what he says about the social chapter? What do he and his Government believe will happen to this country if we endorse the social chapter? Does he believe that the Governments of the 11 other member states are mad?

    The Prime Minister : I do not think that I would put it in precisely that way myself. What I can do is to repeat what the Council of British Chambers of Commerce in Europe has said about the impact of the social chapter. In case the hon. Gentleman did not hear, it said that it would

    “result in the closure of many small and medium-sized businesses, creating even higher unemployment.”

    That is the view of every CBI employer group across Europe.

     

    Q8. Dame Jill Knight : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 22 July.

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

    Dame Jill Knight : Is my right hon. Friend aware that the largest chamber of commerce and industry in the country is in my constituency, which is the centre of a vital industrial area, and that the opinion of the entire west midlands industrial community is that we must stick to the principles that he negotiated at Maastricht and assure the industrial sector that we will not have the social chapter?

    The Prime Minister : I think that the business men in my hon. Friend’s constituency share the views of business men right across the country about the social chapter. They know that it would be a serious mistake, that it would add to costs, that it would cost jobs and wreck our competitiveness. It is not a chapter that is of any use to the British at present or in the future and it should not be part of British law.

  • Mr Major’s Remarks at Deregulation Progress Meeting – 20 July 1993

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s remarks made at the Deregulation Progress Meeting, held at Number 10 Downing Street on Tuesday 20th July 1993.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    What I want to do this morning is to review some of the progress that has been made on deregulation over the last year.

    I believe everyone in the room acknowledges the importance of that work. Certain regulations undoubtedly, as I am sure John Sainsbury and his colleagues will tell us later, impose substantial extra costs on businesses, and are especially damaging to small businesses. Most of the surveys we have seen of small businesses have indicated very clearly their concerns about the weight and impact of regulations. They have a damaging effect on market entry, and a damaging effect on business generally.

    So I want to have a look at that and see, where it is appropriate, whether we are able to remove regulations from business. And I believe it is imperative that we reach a conclusion both that we can do that and that we intend to do that.

    We decided last Spring to seek certain outside advice from businessmen and that is why we have such a distinguished range of guests here this morning. Michael Heseltine set up 7 Task Forces to review regulations and to make recommendations as to how we might deal with them. And I am delighted to see John Sainsbury and his colleagues here today and I am grateful to him and them for the work they have done in this respect over the last few months.

    There are 4 particular areas that I want us to cover this morning.

    First I want to hear from Lord Sainsbury and the Task Force Chairmen about their preliminary findings. I know he is going to focus on how we can make regulations less damaging for small companies.

    Secondly, I want to look at the way that enforcement of regulations has become excessive. I think we can and must change this.

    Thirdly, I want to look at European regulations. European regulation gets a great deal of harsh comment in the business community and I think much of that is justifiable. We also have to acknowledge that we sometimes add extra regulations to European regulations ourselves and make them even more unpopular. I want to look at a number of specific ways that subsidiarity can prevent future regulation on business.

    Fourthly, many people here today have come up with ideas for deregulation. We want to look at some of those and decide how we can embody those in Parliamentary legislation – primary or secondary – in order that we can remove a substantial amount of unnecessary regulations.

    We have a great deal to be done and a great deal to cover this morning. What is perfectly clear from the Task Force reports that we have is that there is too much regulation that is damaging business and does need to be diminished. I hope that at the end of this morning’s session we will be able to move towards a substantial Deregulation Bill for the next session of Parliament.

  • PMQT Written Answers – 20 July 1993

    Below is the text of the written answers relating to Prime Minister’s Question Time from 20th July 1993.

    PRIME MINISTER:

     

    Stone, Kent

    Q7. Mr. Dunn : To ask the Prime Minister whether he has any plans to pay an official visit to Stone, Kent.

    The Prime Minister : I have no immediate plans to do so.

     

    Council of Europe and WEU

    Mr. Ward : To ask the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of the information bulletin on the activities of the United Kingdom delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Assembly of Western European Union which has been sent to him.

    The Prime Minister : I have done so today.

     

    Engagements

    Sir Peter Tapsell : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 20 July.

    Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 20 July.

    The Prime Minister : 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.

  • PMQT – 20 July 1993

    Below is the text of Prime Minister’s Question Time from 20th July 1993.

    PRIME MINISTER:

     

    Engagements

    Q1. Mr. Simon Coombs : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 20 July.

    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.

    Mr. Coombs : Will my right hon. Friend confirm that today’s report from the Confederation of British Industry, showing the fastest increase in retail sales for three years, is clear evidence of the recovery that is taking place in our economy? Are not those figures the results of an economic policy that is based on low inflation, low interest rates and falling unemployment?

    The Prime Minister : It is a very encouraging report, and the sixth successive increase that retailers have reported. In the past week, we have seen inflation down, unemployment down, manufacturing up and now retail sales up. We have an excellent opportunity to build the lasting recovery that we all wish to see. I do not propose to put that at risk by burdening business with the extra costs that we have spent the past 14 years getting rid of.

    Mr. John Smith : Does the Prime Minister accept the opinion expressed by the great constitutional expert, Professor Dicey– [Interruption.]

    Madam Speaker : Order. These interruptions use very valuable time.

    Mr. Smith : I had thought that at least some of the hon. Gentleman and hon. Ladies on the Conservative Benches might have heard of him. Does the Prime Minister accept his opinion that

    “the one essential principle of the constitution is obedience by all persons to the deliberately expressed will of House of Commons”?

    The Prime Minister : By some time this evening, the European Communities (Amendment) Bill will have passed the Lords and Commons and will have Royal Assent. That is clearly the will of the House. Why is the right hon. and learned Gentleman seeking to obstruct it? Mr. Smith rose– [Interruption.]

    Madam Speaker : Order. The House will come to order. There is a great deal of nonsense going on. [Interruption.] I shall remove some hon. Gentleman.

    Mr. Smith : The right hon. Gentleman has answered a question that was not asked. It is a simple principle : does the Prime Minister accept the will of the House of Commons on whatever subject it is expressed? Can he say yes or no?

    The Prime Minister : I might equally ask the right hon. and learned Gentleman–as I just did–exactly the same question, because the clearest possible way to express the will of the House is to pass an Act of Parliament, which will have been done with the Queen’s Assent ratified by the close of business today. I repeat to the right hon. and learned Gentleman : after that Act has received Royal Assent, why is he seeking to obstruct it?

    Mr. Smith : Does the Prime Minister not understand that the question before the House on Thursday night is required by the very Bill to which he has referred? Will he tell us whether the Government will accept the decision of the House whatever it is?

    The Prime Minister : The right hon. and learned Gentleman knows that the House does not support the social chapter. The House genuinely wants the treaty that I signed, and I expect the House to reflect its genuine will in Thursday’s debate.

    Mr. John Marshall : Is my right hon. Friend aware that Hendon school in my constituency was one of the first schools to become grant maintained? Is he further aware that it is now heavily oversubscribed, and does he agree that what is good for Hendon is good for the country?

    The Prime Minister : I think that up and down the country people have indicated that they are in favour of the principle of grant-maintained schools, which have shown that they are very successful. We believe that that choice should be available.

    Mr. Ashdown : I understand why the Prime Minister will want time to study in full the Sheehy report on the police, but will he at least dispose of one of its recommendations now? Does he really believe that the battle against crime will be assisted by cutting our already undermanned police force by a further 3,000 as Sheehy recommends?

    The Prime Minister : With respect to the right hon. Gentleman, he has misread the report. Sheehy does not recommend that. The Sheehy report is independent. We are examining it, and when we have examined it and consulted on it, we will reach conclusions.

    Mr. Burns : Will my right hon. Friend join me in congratulating the Ministry of Defence on placing more than 90 per cent. of its defence procurement requirements with British companies to protect British jobs and British expertise? Will he please use his considerable negotiating skills to impress on the American Department of Defence that it is unacceptable that British companies are stopped by Acts of Congress from competing in the American market for the supply of items such as image intensifiers which are produced in Chelmsford, thus causing unemployment in a company whose product is the best in the country?

    The Prime Minister : We believe in free trade and an open market in this as in other things.

     

    Q2. Mr. Roy Hughes : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 20 July.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Hughes : Does the Prime Minister recall his aim of a nation at ease with itself? His Government are imposing 17.5 per cent. VAT on domestic fuel and attacking those who are on invalidity benefit, and now there is a cloud over state pensions. How does he reconcile that contradiction, as a nation can never be at ease with itself when there are such attacks on the underprivileged in society? I suggest that it might have something to do with his family’s circus background– [Interruption.]

    Madam Speaker : Order. This is Prime Minister’s Question Time.

    Mr. Hughes : I suggest that at an early age the Prime Minister was taught to stand on his head– [Interruption.]

    Madam Speaker : Order. As I have said, this is Prime Minister’s Question Time ; it is not an Adjournment debate.

    The Prime Minister : I am afraid that I did not hear the concluding words of the hon. Gentleman’s speech, but I heard the early part of it. He clearly neglected to mention that last week it was perfectly clear that VAT on fuel was also the policy of the official Opposition and the Liberal party. The official Opposition are still canvassing that. He also neglected in his catalogue many measures that have been taken to help people who are disadvantaged and to reduce tax levels for people on low incomes. Perhaps he should take a more rounded view.

     

    Q3. Sir Roger Moate : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 20 July.

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

    Sir Roger Moate : Is my right hon. Friend aware that some of us are very much opposed to the Maastricht treaty, but still believe that he scored a great personal and national triumph when he secured the opt-outs from the single currency and from the social chapter so beloved of the Labour party? Quite apart from the costs to industry and the loss of jobs, does he agree that the social chapter would reintroduce the corporatism that did such damage to Britain in the 1970s and before? Will he confirm that he has no intention of ratifying a treaty which contains the social chapter?

    The Prime Minister : I am well aware of my hon. Friend’s long- standing views on the European Community and his disapproval of much of the Maastricht treaty. While I do not share his views, I respect the strength and consistency of his feelings. I entirely agree with him about the damage done by the social chapter. It is an unemployment charter which will destroy our future prosperity. It will prevent the creation of jobs. It is a socialist charter and we want nothing of it.

    Mr. Hume : In the light of the clear evidence that Lord Tebbit publicly encourages terrorism, which emerged yesterday when he spoke on television advising loyalist paramilitaries in Belfast that if they wanted to achieve their objectives they should bomb Dublin, and when last evening those same paramilitaries bombed the homes of my hon. Friend the Member for Belfast, West (Dr. Hendron) and two leading members of our party, will the Prime Minister now ask the Home Secretary to implement Government policy, issue an exclusion order against Lord Tebbit and send him to Northern Ireland?

    The Prime Minister : I think that the whole House knows my right hon. and noble Friend very well. He has suffered violently at the hands of terrorists. All his political life he has been a vigorous opponent of terrorism. I may not share his every view, but I believe passionately that he is one of the strongest opponents of terrorism this House has seen now or at any stage in the past.

    Mr. Wells : Will my right hon. Friend take some time to read the leader in the Evening Standard last week which ascribed to his leadership the low inflation, low interest rates and low unit wage costs which are leading Britain out of unemployment and into prosperity?

    The Prime Minister : As my hon. Friend knows, I believe that our prosperity must be based on a low-inflation economy. It has not been easy to achieve ; there have been many sacrifices made by many people and I repeatedly acknowledge that, but we have the lowest inflation rate for 29 years. We need to sustain it and build growth on that low inflation.

     

    Q4. Mr. Jon Owen Jones : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 20 July.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Jones : Did the Prime Minister find time to see last night’s “Panorama” programme? If he did, he will have seen disturbing evidence suggesting that dental equipment can transmit the AIDS virus and that in America strong evidence suggests that it has already done so in some cases, and perhaps in many. As The Lancet states that more than 75 per cent. of all dentists in Britain do not routinely autoclave their equipment between patients, is it not time that we regulated and inspected our dentists in order to protect our dental reputation and our citizens when they go to the dentist?

    The Prime Minister : The straightforward answer is no, I did not see the “Panorama” programme last night ; nor has the hon. Gentleman’s point been put to me previously. I have no doubt that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health will have heard about the programme and will be examining its findings.

     

    Common Agricultural Policy

    Q5. Sir Teddy Taylor : To ask the Prime Minister if he will raise at the next meeting of the European Council the impact of the 1993 reforms of the common agricultural policy.

    The Prime Minister : I have no plans to do so.

    Sir Teddy Taylor : As Sir Simon Gourlay, the former head of the National Farmers Union, has condemned the common agricultural policy reforms as

    “terminal insanity with staggering costs and red tape”, as common agricultural policy spending next year will be £29 billion instead of the £23 billion last year, as the mountain of cereals has broken all previous records, and as the average family is now spending an extra £20 a week on their food, might it be a possible compromise in a difficult week if the Government were to decide to postpone further transfers of sovereignty to Brussels until the common agricultural policy was scrapped or until individual member states could be excluded from it?

    The Prime Minister : As my hon. Friend is a great expert on the European Community, he will know that breaking up the common agricultural policy would be incompatible with the treaty of Rome and with the completion of the single market. But the Government do believe that the common agricultural policy should reflect to a greater extent than at present the needs of the market, the interests of the taxpayer and the dual role of farmers as food producers and custodians of the countryside. In pursuing those objectives, of course we will listen to what Sir Simon Gourlay and many others have to say.

     

    Engagements

    Q6. Mr. Lewis : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 20 July.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Lewis : Will the Prime Minister take this opportunity to reinforce statements that he has made in the past that he will not introduce VAT on children’s shoes and clothing and other zero-rated essentials?

    The Prime Minister : When the Leader of the Opposition was asked about his tax proposals some time ago, he said very clearly : “Most Chancellors won’t tell you that. If you ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what will be the range and bands … in his tax Budget he will say, Wait until the Budget’.”

    That was the right hon. and learned Gentleman’s advice–the only wise advice that he has ever given the House.

  • PMQT Written Answers – 19 July 1993

    Below is the text of the written answers relating to Prime Minister’s Question Time from 19th July 1993.

    PRIME MINISTER:

     

    Gulf War

    Mr. Tyler : To ask the Prime Minister when he expects to be able to provide a substantive reply to the letter from the hon. Member for North Cornwall dated 18 January about the cases of the three Gulf war widows, Mrs. Lyn Hicks, Mrs. Liz Weeks and Mrs. Anne Lennox.

    The Prime Minister : A reply will be sent shortly.

     

    Vietnamese Prime Minister (Visit)

    Mr. Alton : To ask the Prime Minister what specific human rights issues he raised with the Prime Minister of Vietnam during his recent visit.

    The Prime Minister : At my request, the Minister for Overseas Development expressed our concern about Vietnam’s human rights record with the Vietnamese Prime Minister during his visit to the United Kingdom of 3 to 6 July. We also handed over a short list of specific human rights cases.

     

    Child Migrants

    Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 14 July, Official Report, columns 506-7, if he will make available to the Child Migrant Trust personal record files relating to British child migrants for use in confidence in counselling migrants and tracing relatives in the United Kingdom.

    The Prime Minister : I have asked my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health to write to the hon. Member.

     

    Overseas Debt

    Mr. Meacher : To ask the Prime Minister how many countries which qualify for relief under the Trinidad terms owe money to the United Kingdom; what is their total debt to the United Kingdom; what proportion of that debt could be (a) wiped-out or (b) rescheduled; and what is the total value of debt which could be (i) wiped out and (ii) rescheduled.

    The Prime Minister [holding answer 12 July 1993] : Fourteen of the 17 countries that have qualified for Trinidad terms from the Paris club have debt outstanding to the Export Credits Guarantee Department, totalling £774 million.

    Countries receiving Trinidad agreements get debt reduction or debt service reduction equivalent to half the value of eligible debt due over the periods of the agreements. Some £174 million of these countries’ debt to ECGD has been rescheduled under these arrangements, and the equivalent value of the reduction in those countries’ debt to ECGD is therefore around half that figure.

    Of the 17 countries given Trinidad terms, only Nicaragua has debt outstanding to the ODA, amounting to some £0.6 million. Seven of these countries–Tanzania, Bolivia, Uganda, Honduras, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia and Mozambique–have already received retrospective terms adjustment–RTA– writing off their ODA debt. RTA has also recently been announced for Zambia and Guyana. These agreements, which are awaiting signature, will write off debt of £55.9 million and £53.4 million respectively.

    There are further severely-indebted low-income countries which may qualify for Trinidad terms in future, for example once they have agreed reform programmes with the IMF. The Paris club will also consider giving countries which have Trinidad agreements the equivalent of up to 50 per cent. reduction of the remaining stock of debt, provided they establish track records of debt servicing and economic reform over the periods of the agreements. Under present rules this could produce further debt reduction up to 50 per cent. of the total debt to ECGD then outstanding. But the United Kingdom is pressing the Paris club to go further, in line with my original Trinidad proposals, and give immediate stock of debt reduction of up to 80 per cent. for the neediest eligible countries on a case by case basis. In response to United Kingdom pressure, the recent Tokyo summit asked the Paris club to continue reviewing the question of debt relief for these countries, and especially to consider earlier reductions in their stock of debt.

  • PMQT Written Answers – 16 July 1993

    Below is the text of the written answers relating to Prime Minister’s Question Time from 16th July 1993.

    PRIME MINISTER:

     

    Heating Costs

    Mr. William Ross : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his estimate of the (a) average, (b) highest and (c) lowest cost of heating a dwelling in (i) England, (ii) Scotland, (iii) Wales and (iv) Northern Ireland for (a) the winter months and (b) the summer months, and indicate in each case the cost for (i) solid fuel, (ii) electricity, (iii) oil, (iv) natural gas and (v) bottled gas; and if he will list the locations in each of the countries which were used for samples to estimate these costs.

    The Prime Minister : This information is not held centrally, but the estimated comparative cost of heating two, three, and four-bedroomed homes using different types of fuel and power can be derived from a publication entitled “Comparative Domestic Heating Costs in the UK” published by Sutherland Associates, a copy of which is in the Library of the House.

     

    Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant

    Mr. Redmond : To ask the Prime Minister what reply he has given to the letter on the THORP from the Japanese group which visited him on 15 June.

    The Prime Minister : A reply will be sent shortly.

     

    Ministers (Directorships)

    Mr. Cryer : To ask the Prime Minister how many Ministers retain directorships of companies; and if he will make a statement.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Gentleman to paragraph 107 of “Questions of Procedure for Ministers”. No central record is held of such information.

     

    Northern Ireland

    Mr. Barnes : To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 7 June, Official Report, columns 13-14, when he expects to be able to place in the Library the requested document regarding deaths resulting from the security situation in Northern Ireland.

    The Prime Minister : The production of a comprehensive list of people killed since 1968 as a result of the security situation in Northern Ireland, and in related incidents in Great Britain, the Irish Republic and mainland Europe, requires extensive and painstaking research. Information on mainland Europe, which is available only after 1978, and Great Britain is nearly complete and will be placed in the Library in the next fortnight. Work on the remaining information is well advanced, and the completed data will be placed in the Library as soon as they are available.

     

    Yugoslavia

    Mr. Wareing : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the actions taken by the Government of Bosnia-Herzegovina which Her Majesty’s Government consider to have fulfilled the requirements of the London conference, and the ways in which they have failed to co-operate satisfactorily with the international community’s peace efforts.

    The Prime Minister : The Bosnian Government have been unable to realise the objectives of the London conference owing to the actions of their other parties, in particular the Serbs. The international community has repeatedly made clear that it will not accept a settlement in Bosnia which is dictated by the Serbs and Croats at the expense of the Muslims. We hope that the Bosnian Government will soon be in a position to enter into negotiations with the other parties under the co-chairmanship of Lord Owen and Mr. Stoltenberg.

    Mr. Wareing : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the actions taken by the Government of Croatia which Her Majesty’s Government consider to have fulfilled the requirements of the London conference, and the ways in which it has failed to co-operate satisfactorily with the international community’s peace efforts.

    The Prime Minister : While we consider that the Serbs bear the main burden of responsibility for the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, we are also not satisfied that the Croatian Government have so far fully met the requirements of the London conference to achieve a peaceful settlement in Bosnia. European Community Foreign Ministers will be considering on 19 July whether measures should be taken against the Croatians so long as they are engaged in activities contrary to the London conference principles.

  • PMQT Written Answers – 15 July 1993

    Below is the text of the written answers relating to Prime Minister’s Question Time from 15th July 1993.

    PRIME MINISTER:

     

    Referendums

    Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the dates since 1979 on which Government policy on the desirability of a referendum has been expressed by the Prime Minister in an official capacity; and whether the Prime Minister was in favour in the cases listed in his parliamentary answer, Official Report, 28 November 1991, column 608.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave on 28 November 1991 at columns 613-14. I supported the views expressed on behalf of the Government by my predecessor. Since then there have been four occasions, all of which referred to European integration, on which I have made the Government’s views clear : 3 June 1992, Official Report, column 830; 18 June 1992, Official Report, column 1037; 16 March 1993, Official Report, column 167; and 30 March 1993, Official Report, column 156.

     

    Tokyo Communique

    Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Prime Minister what specific steps he intends to take to (a) encourage the multilateral development banks to focus more intensively on sustainable development and (b) incorporate environmental appraisals into project preparation and to make them publicly available, as stated at paragraph 8 of the G7 communique from Tokyo on 9 July.

    The Prime Minister : Following the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in June 1992 the Government have supported a wide range of improvements in this area. For the International Development Association of the World bank, details are set out in the report on the 10th replenishment which the House approved on 12 July. Negotiations on the sixth replenishment of the African Development Fund and the capital resources of the Inter-American and Asian development banks are currently in progress. We are also actively working for agreement by the World bank board to proposals to make more information on its projects publicly available, including environmental assessments : a decision is expected soon.

     

    Ministerial Responsibilities

    Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Prime Minister what consideration he has given to the appointment of a senior Minister as (a) a Minister with special responsibility for young people and (b) a Minister with special responsibility for older people; and if he will make a statement.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Member to my reply to his similar question on 14 November 1991 at column 639 about designating a Minister with responsibility for young people. Similarly, issues facing older people are not specific to that age group. Appointing a Minister with special responsibility to look after such groups would diffuse responsibilities for particular aspects of policy which presently fall clearly on each departmental Minister.

     

    Yugoslavia

    Mr. Wareing : To ask the Prime Minister what progress has been made towards holding a further meeting of the London conference on former Yugoslavia; and if he will make a statement.

    The Prime Minister : The steering committee of the international conference on the former Yugoslavia met at senior official level in Geneva on 1 July. There are currently no plans to hold a further meeting, at either official or ministerial level, but the co-chairmen are keeping this under review.

    Mr. Wareing : To ask the Prime Minister what progress has been made in placing monitors on the border between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Bosnia-Herzegovina; and if he will make a statement.

    The Prime Minister : Following the adoption of United Nations Security Council resolution 838, the Secretary-General submitted to the Security Council a report on the options for deployment of international border monitors on the border between Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia/Montenegro. Following full discussion of the report in the Security Council, the President of the Council replied, asking the Secretary-General to investigate whether the states involved were willing to co-operate in the deployment of monitors and, if so, which member states of the United Nations would be prepared to contribute monitors. We await the outcome of these soundings.

  • PMQT – 15 July 1993

    Below is the text of Prime Minister’s Question Time from 15th July 1993.

    PRIME MINISTER:

     

    Engagements

    Q1. Mr. Waterson : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 15 July.

    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. Waterson : Will my right hon. Friend join me in welcoming not only the lowest inflation rate for 30 years, but the fifth successive monthly fall in unemployment? Does he agree that the House deserves an apology from the hon. Member for Dunfermline, East (Mr. Brown) for predicting a steady rise in unemployment over the spring and summer?

    The Prime Minister : My hon. Friend is unkind to remind the House of the predictions by the hon. Member for Dunfermline, East. There have been a great deal of them–all wrong. If it would be for the convenience of the House, I will place a copy of them in the Library. The further fall in unemployment and inflation is very good news indeed. Unemployment has fallen by over 80,000 since the beginning of the year, and, taken with the remarkable figures on Tuesday for manufacturing output, we can now say with some certainty that there is clear evidence of recovery gathering pace.

    Mr. John Smith : Does the Prime Minister accept that it should be for the House to decide whether the social chapter is included in the British version of the Maastricht treaty?

    The Prime Minister : The House has examined the whole of the treaty. I expect to ratify the treaty that I signed at Maastricht. The House has shown its support for the treaty ; I expect that it will do so again.

    Mr. John Smith : The Prime Minister has carefully not answered the question. Let me put it to him plainly and clearly. Whichever way the House votes on the social chapter, will the Government accept the decision?

    The Prime Minister : I have said to the right hon. and learned Gentleman before, and I repeat, that I expect the Government’s motion to be carried, and I expect to ratify the treaty that I signed.

    Mr. John Smith : The House and the country will have noticed another failure to answer the question directly. Does the Prime Minister understand that, were he to defy the will of the House of Commons, it would be a monstrous violation of the rights of the House, and would at one fell swoop undermine our parliamentary democracy?

    The Prime Minister : The right hon. and learned Gentleman perhaps does not understand the answers. I will make them more clear for him, so that he is in no doubt. We expect to ratify the treaty that I signed at Maastricht. The House has shown its support for the treaty ; I expect it to do so again.

    Mr. Lamont : This month, like last, has seen a remarkable catalogue of good economic indicators. Is it not the case that, in addition to the fifth fall in monthly unemployment, we have seen the largest increase in industrial production for four years and the lowest inflation record for nearly 30 years? When one puts that into a European context and sees that Britain has a lower than average rate of inflation in the European Community, is the only country in the European Community in which unemployment is falling, and is the only country in the European Community in which industrial production is rising, I congratulate the new Chancellor on the rapid success of his policies.

    The Prime Minister : I know that my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer will be most grateful for my right hon. Friend’s support for his policies. It is entirely clear that we are coming out of recession and into recovery. It is equally clear that we are leading Europe into recovery.

    Mr. Ashdown : Will the Prime Minister reflect on the fact that the Government have said to their rebels that nothing will stop them from ratifying the Maastricht treaty, but they have said to the House that adopting the social chapter would jeopardise the treaty? Both statements cannot be true ; which is?

    The Prime Minister : I think that the right hon. Gentleman has forgotten what he said about the social chapter. [Interruption.] I am glad that the right hon. Gentleman has not forgotten, but perhaps I can remind the House what he said :

    “I believe what is now being put forward in the social chapter may well lead to a form of Euro-sclerosis.”

    He continued :

    “The social chapter in the Maastricht agreement, it seems to me, is a really worrying attempt by Europe to try and rebuild in Britain the things that we have dismantled over the last 12 or 15 years.” If that is the view of the right hon. Gentleman and his party, and he is true to his view, I shall expect to see him in our Lobby next Thursday.

     

    Portsmouth

    Q2. Mr. David Martin : To ask the Prime Minister whether he has plans to pay an official visit to Portsmouth.

    The Prime Minister : I have no immediate plans to do so.

    Mr. Martin : Does my right hon. Friend recall that he has not visited Portsmouth since the general election, at a time when the so-called poll experts were predicting not only a Government defeat in general but, even more shamefully, the loss of my seat in particular? Will my right hon. Friend visit us again soon, preferably in the 50th anniversary year of D- day? Such a visit would not only mark the premier naval port of Portsmouth’s vital contribution to our defence needs in the past, but mark its present contribution and the efforts it will make for many years in the future.

    The Prime Minister : My hon. Friend is an extremely forceful advocate for Portsmouth, and I am grateful for his invitation. I understand how important the defence industry is to his constituents, and I hope that he will take every opportunity to remind them of two facts : that the Labour party would cut defence spending by a quarter, and that the Liberal Democrats would cut it by half. We hear a lot from the leader of the Liberal Democrats about taking military action in Bosnia ; we hear rather less from him about how we would be able to take that action after his policy had dismantled the Army, the Navy and the Royal Air Force.

     

    Engagements

    Q3. Mr. McAllion : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 15 July.

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

    Mr. McAllion : Is the Prime Minister aware that, because of the legal shackles on British trades unions, this week sacked Timex workers were banned from taking part in the national launch of the Timex boycott campaign, and banned from calling on the support of other British trade unionists?

    What is banned here is legal elsewhere in Europe. Sacked Timex workers have been in France this week, exercising the democratic rights denied to them in their own country. Is the Prime Minister not ashamed of the Government’s record on labour law, which has isolated Britain in Europe and left British workers on their own, with no social chapter, no wages councils and no effective right to strike? The Government have turned Britain, once one of the workshops of the world, into one of the world’s sweatshop economies.

    The Prime Minister : The sort of behaviour that we saw from trade unionists at Timex is nothing for the hon. Gentleman to be proud of. I dare say that the jobs lost at Timex as a result will stand as the clearest evidence that the hon. Gentleman’s policy is utterly the wrong way to look at labour and trade union relationships.

     

    Q4. Mr. Kynoch : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 15 July.

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

    Mr. Kynoch : Will my right hon. Friend thank and congratulate the anti-terrorist branch and MI5 for its continuing efforts to protect the public from terrorist crimes, and especially their efforts yesterday? Does he agree that had we failed to pass the prevention of terrorism Act and gone down the path of giving away Northern Ireland–the policy of the Opposition–the anti-terrorist branch and MI5 might as well have been told by us to pack up their things and go back to traffic duty?

    The Prime Minister : The police and the Security Service deserve our congratulations on their professionalism and vigilance. They have demonstrated that in fighting terrorism over many years. It is clear, and it has been endorsed repeatedly by the House, that we need the prevention of terrorism Act to defeat the terrorists. With the greatest goodwill in the world, I cannot understand why, year after year, Opposition Members have voted it down.

    Mr. Boyce : In view of the Prime Minister’s utterances in recent days about nuclear weapons being defensive measures, may I ask him to take this opportunity to assure the House, the country and the world that Britain will never use them first?

    The Prime Minister : The hon. Gentleman should know better than to ask such a daft question.

     

    Q5. Mr. Nicholas Winterton : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 15 July.

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

    Mr. Winterton : My right hon. Friend has announced this afternoon dramatic improvements in a number of economic indicators which are of immense interest to the House and the country. Will he continue to encourage manufacturing industry as a way of improving our economy, and will he ensure that in the Budget to be announced in December, the fragile recovery of our manufacturing base, which is vital to our future, will continue to be encouraged and that measures will be introduced to ensure that recovery and continued economic growth?

    The Prime Minister : The whole House knows and respects my hon. Friend’s advocacy of manufacturing, so he will be as pleased as I am about the growing success of British manufacturers. As he knows, my right hon. Friend the Member for Kingston upon Thames (Mr. Lamont) introduced measures in the Budget and autumn statement to help manufacturing industry. I say also to my hon. Friend that the one thing that would do great damage to manufacturing industry would be the provisions of the social chapter.

    Mrs. Mahon : Does the Prime Minister realise that 500,000 of the present unemployed are aged between 18 and 24 and that, because of the cuts that he helped to introduce, they are having to manage on £4.97 a day? Does he think that that is enough to keep them in food and on which they can live? Will he take action now to end the discrimination against that age group, instead of making cheap political points at the expense of the unemployed?

    The Prime Minister : I do not think that the hon. Lady has grasped the training opportunities that exist for young people. I want youngsters to take up those training opportunities. That is what they are there for and it is in their interest to take them up.

     

    Q6. Mr. Amess : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 15 July.

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

    Mr. Amess : Does my right hon. Friend agree that the Government’s trade union reforms have made a significant contribution to Britain’s increased industrial competitiveness over the past 10 years, while the trade unions have made a significant contribution to the Labour party’s electoral uncompetitiveness over the same period?

    The Prime Minister : I agree with my hon. Friend, and I came across an interesting quote last week from a delegate at a Transport and General Workers Union conference, who said :

    “We are not the tail wagging the dog. We are the dog.”

    That is the true relationship between Labour and the unions. The unions are the dog and Labour is the lamp post.

     

    Q7. Mr. Hain : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 15 July.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Hain : What is the Prime Minister going to do about corruption in his flagship council in Westminster? When will he stop crooks financing the Conservative party? Why did he allow 44 of his own Members to vote themselves tax privileges in the Lloyd’s amendments on Tuesday? Is that why he is the most unpopular Prime Minister on record?

    The Prime Minister : The best that can be said about that compendium question is that it is worthy of the hon. Gentleman.

    Mr. Fry : In welcoming the unemployment figure, will my right hon. Friend also take time to express vividly to all those in employment the cost of the social security budget, currently running at more than £60 a week for every worker? Does not that large sum justify the Government’s intention to re-examine that budget?

    The Prime Minister : My hon. Friend is right about that for the reasons that I have set out on a number of occasions in recent weeks. That problem is faced not only in Britain, but right across the European Community, in Japan, the United States and other industrial countries.

  • PMQT Written Answers – 14 July 1993

    Below is the text of the written answers relating to Prime Minister’s Question Time from 14th July 1993.

    PRIME MINISTER:

     

    Trade Facilitation Groups

    Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Prime Minister what trade facilitation groups have been set up in Peru, Colombia and Mexico in the wake of his visit ; and what advantages have accrued to Britain as a result of agreements and understandings arrived at during his visit.

    The Prime Minister : On my visit to Colombia last year I agreed with President Gaviria that we should establish a trade facilitation group and that the United Kingdom and Colombia should begin negotiations for an investment promotion and protection agreement and a double taxation agreement. The trade facilitation group has now reported back on obstacles to bilateral trade and how to overcome them and has identified many opportunities for British businesses. We hope to sign an IPPA and a DTA soon. I did not visit Peru or Mexico.

     

    Departmental Bills

    Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Prime Minister if he will set out the steps taken by his Government to ensure that Government Departments pay outstanding bills within 30 days of their receipt ; and if he will make a statement.

    The Prime Minister : “Government Accounting” requires all Departments to pay outstanding bills in accordance with the terms of the contract or generally understood terms of business, or within 30 days of the receipt of goods and services or the presentation of a valid invoice or similar demand for payment, whichever is the later, if no terms are specified.

    Departments are responsible for monitoring their payment performance. The results for 1991-92 were published in written parliamentary answers on 13 July 1992. The results for 1992-93 will be published shortly and Departments will, in future, also be required to publish details of their payment performance in departmental reports.

     

    Child Migrant Scheme

    Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Prime Minister (1) if he will place in the Library all Government records relating to the child migrant scheme;

    (2) what discussions he has had with representatives of the Australian, New Zealand and Canadian Governments concerning the welfare of United Kingdom child migrants; what is the Government’s policy towards the compensation of those who have suffered as a result of this scheme; if he will take steps to increase Government grant assistance to the Child Migrant Trust; and if he will make a statement.

    The Prime Minister : It would not be right to place personal record files in the Library. Other records are considered for deposit in the Public Record Office in the usual way.

    I have not raised the subject of child migrants with the Heads of Government in Australia, New Zealand or Canada, nor have they raised the subject with me. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health is contacting the Australian authorities.

    I know there have been allegations of physical and sexual abuse of a number of child migrants some years ago in Australia, but any such allegations will be a matter for the Australian authorities. I am not aware of any allegations involving the British authorities or claims against them for compensation.

    The Child Migrant Trust applied for Government funds and has received a section 64 grant of £25,000 from the Department of Health for the current year.

    Any future application will be considered by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health.

     

    No. 10 Downing Street

    Mr. Winnick : To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell), of 5 July, Official Report, column 11, what charges are made to organisations or persons holding non-official events at 10 Downing Street in respect of overheads or indirect costs associated with such functions.

    The Prime Minister [holding answer 9 July 1993] : The practice under this and previous Administrations is that the organisers are responsible for all catering and staff costs, as well as other miscellaneous direct costs. No charges are levied for overheads or indirect costs.

    Mr. Winnick : To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Newham North-West (Mr. Banks) on 5 July, Official Report, column 11, whether all political parties represented in the House can apply to use 10 Downing Street for fund raising and other social purposes.

    The Prime Minister [holding answer 9 July 1993] : As under previous Administrations, the use of 10 Downing Street for non-official or party functions is a matter for the Prime Minister.

    Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 5 July, Official Report, column 11, which Ministers have hosted non- official or party receptions or functions in 10 Downing Street since 1979.

    The Prime Minister [holding answer 13 July 1993] : I have hosted all such events since November 1990.

    Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 5 July, Official Report, columns 11-12, if he will give details of the occasions upon which No. 10 Downing street was used for functions for which tickets were sold for the benefit of political parties since 1979.

    The Prime Minister [holding answer 13 July 1993] : As I said in the reply to which the hon. Member refers, that is not a matter for the Government.

    Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 5 July, Official Report, column 12, on attendance by Mr. Asil Nadir at functions at No. 10 Downing Street, which of the functions attended were Government functions; and who issued the invitation in each such case.

    The Prime Minister [holding answer 13 July 1993] : The only Government function was the dinner for the President of Turkey. For all the functions, invitations would have been issued in the name of the Prime Minister.

     

    Foreign Heads of State (Visits)

    Mr. William Ross : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the official visits made by heads of foreign states to Northern Ireland in each of the last three years, the engagements carried out by them during each such visit, and indicating which engagements were private, public and official.

    The Prime Minister [holding answer 13 July 1993] : There have been no official visits made to Northern Ireland by heads of foreign states in the last three years.