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Spicer, Sir Jim (Dorset W)

Spicer, Michael (S Worcs)

Squire, Robin

Stanbrook, Ivor

Stanley, Rt Hon Sir John

Steen, Anthony

Stern, Michael

Stevens, Lewis

Stewart, Allan (Eastwood)

Stewart, Andy (Sherwood)

Stewart, Rt Hon Ian (Herts N)

Stokes, Sir John

Stradling Thomas, Sir John

Sumberg, David

Taylor, Ian (Esher)

Taylor, John M (Solihull)

Taylor, Teddy (S'end E)

Tebbit, Rt Hon Norman

Temple-Morris, Peter

Thompson, D. (Calder Valley)

Thompson, Patrick (Norwich N)

Thorne, Neil

Thurnham, Peter

Townsend, Cyril D. (B'heath)

Tracey, Richard

Tredinnick, David

Trippier, David

Trotter, Neville

Twinn, Dr Ian

Vaughan, Sir Gerard

Waddington, Rt Hon David

Walden, George

Walker, Bill (T'side North)

Ward, John

Wardle, Charles (Bexhill)

Warren, Kenneth

Watts, John

Wells, Bowen

Whitney, Ray

Widdecombe, Ann

Wiggin, Jerry

Winterton, Nicholas

Wood, Timothy

Woodcock, Dr. Mike

Yeo, Tim

Young, Sir George (Acton)

Tellers for the Noes :

Mr. Alastair Goodlad and

Mr. Nicholas Baker.

Question accordingly negatived.

It being after One o'clock, further consideration of the Bill, as amended, stood adjourned.

Bill, as amended (in the Standing Committee), to be further considered this day.

Statutory Instruments, &c.

Madam Deputy Speaker (Miss Betty Boothroyd) : With the leave of the House, I shall put together the Questions on statutory instruments.

Motion made, and Question put forthwith pursuant to Standing Order No. 101(5) (Standing Committees on Statutory Instruments, &c.).

RATING AND VALUATION (SCOTLAND)

That the draft Water Undertakings (Rateable Values) (Scotland) Order 1990, which was laid before this House on 6th March, be approved.

That the draft Mines and Quarries (Rateable Values) (Scotland) Order 1990, which was laid before this House on 6th March, be approved.

That the draft Mercury Communications Limited (Rateable Values) (Scotland) Order 1990, which was laid before this House on 6th March be approved.

That the draft Lochaber Power Company (Rateable Values) (Scotland) Order 1990, which was laid before this House on 6th March, be approved.

That the draft Industrial and Freight Transport (Rateable Values) (Scotland) Order 1990, which was laid before this House on 6th March, be approved.

That the draft Glasgow Underground (Rateable Values) (Scotland) Order 1990, which was laid before this House on 6th March, be approved.

That the draft Forth Ports Authority (Rateable Values) (Scotland) Order 1990, which was laid before this House on 6th March, be approved.

That the draft Docks and Harbours (Rateable Values) (Scotland) Order 1990, which was laid before this House on 6th March, be approved.

That the draft Caledonian MacBrayne Limited (Rateable Values) (Scotland) Order 1990, which was laid before this House on 6th March, be approved.

That the draft British Waterways Board (Rateable Values) (Scotland) Order 1990, which was laid before this House on 6th March, be approved.

That the draft British Telecommunications plc (Rateable Values) (Scotland) Order 1990, which was laid before this House on 6th March, be approved.

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That the draft British Railways Board (Rateable Values) (Scotland) Order 1990, which was laid before this House on 6th March, be approved.

That the draft British Gas plc (Rateable Values) (Scotland) Order 1990, which was laid before this House on 6th March, be approved. That the draft British Alcan Primary and Recycling Ltd. (Rateable Values) (Scotland) Order 1990, which was laid before this House on 6th March, be approved.-- [Mr. Kenneth Carlisle.] Question agreed to.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE (INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION BILL [Lords] Ordered.

That, notwithstanding that such provisions could not have been proposed in Committee without an Instruction from the House, amendments may be proposed on consideration of the Criminal Justice (International Co-operation) Bill [ Lords ] to provide for the seizure, detention and forfeiture of drug trafficking money imported or exported in cash.-- [Mr. Kenneth Carlisle.]

WAYS AND MEANS

Criminal Justice (International Co-operation) Bill

[Lords] Resolved,

That any Act resulting from the Criminal Justice (International Co- operation) Bill [Lords] may provide for the payment into the Consolidated Fund of money representing cash, and accrued interest on cash, forfeited under provisions of that Act conferring powers in respect of drug trafficking money imported or exported in cash.-- [Mr. Kenneth Carlisle.]

PETITIONS

Human Embryos

1.13 am

Mr. Tim Smith (Beaconsfield) : I wish to present a petition on behalf of Mr. G. J. Welsh of Hawthorns, Hammersley Lane, Tylers Green, Buckinghamshire, and another on behalf of Mrs. T. Coppin of 55 Robinson Road, Loudwater, High Wycombe. The second petition is signed by 67 other constituents-- [Interruption.]

Madam Deputy Speaker (Miss Betty Boothroyd) : Order. Will hon. Members leaving the Chamber do so quietly so that we can hear the petition?

Mr. Smith : Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker.

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The second petition is signed by 67 of my constituents who are all concerned that the human embryo should be protected. The petitions states :

Wherefore your Petitioners pray that the House of Commons will take immediate steps to enact legislation which forbids any procedure that involves :--

(a) the purchase or sale of human embryos ;

(b) the discarding or freezing of human embryos ;

(c) the use of human embryos as sources of transplant tissue ; (d) the use of human embryos as subjects for research or experiment (unless this is done solely for the benefit of the embryo concerned) ;

(e) the cross-fertilisation of humans with other species. And your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray etc. To lie upon the Table.

A46 A47 Link Road

Mr. Keith Vaz (Leicester, East) : I have two petitions to present. I present the first on behalf of Councillor Mike Preston of 60 Barry road, Leicester and Mr. Frank Kerr of 131 Humberstone boulevard, Leicester and 36 other residents of Humberstone who are protesting against the proposed extension of the A46 A47 link road and the fact that the local authority has made no provision for pedestrian safety as outlined in the plans for the link road.

Your petitioners pray that your Honourable House encourage the Secretary of State for the Environment to consider the views of the residents of Humberstone during his consideration of the appeals against compulsory purchase orders by Leicestershire County Council submitted for this planned road,

And your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray.

To lie upon the Table .

Local Government Finance

Mr. Vaz : I present my second petition, which is against the poll tax, on behalf of David Roy Winder of 4 Rawsthorne walk, St. Marks, Leicester and 1,020 other residents of Leicester. A demonstration was held in Leicester last Saturday in which more than 1,000 people protested against the introduction of the poll tax which in Leicester will be more than £400 per person. The petitioners are concerned that the tax is unfair, unjust and will cause misery and hardship to thousands of people in Leicester and to millions of people throughout Britain.

Wherefore your petitioners pray that your Honourable House demands that the Secretary of State for the Environment withdraw this tax and listens to the views of the people of Leicester.

And your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray.

To lie upon the Table .

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National Insurance

Motion made, and Question proposed, That this House do now adjourn.-- [Mr. Patnick.]

1.17 am

Mr. Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) : This Adjournment debate arose from the fact that some time last year I received one of those brown envelopes from a whistleblower. That letter asked me to raise the matter of the mighty scandal of employers across the country not paying into the Inland Revenue the amount of money that they have taken from employees.

As a result of that letter, I raised the issue on the Floor of the House with the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee. He was able to reveal that that was the case and that the Comptroller and Auditor General thought that the position was so bad that he was inclined to look at it as well.

As a result of my questions, the matter was reported in the press and a great deal of publicity arose in many parts of Great Britain. I am indebted to the northern regional low pay unit, the west midlands regional low pay unit and many others who wrote to me saying that I had raised an issue of scandalous proportions in which employers in large and small firms are breaking the law, but the Government are doing nothing about it.

The whistleblower wrote :

"Dear Mr. Skinner,

I am the legal adviser to a large organisation which is why, to my shame, I am remaining anonymous.

Over the past eight years the publications emanating from the Government's Departments"--

that is, Employment News --

"have gradually ceased to give (as they used) basic facts and statistics and become a mere vehicle for Government propaganda. There is no other word for it. The enclosed publication used to give facts The centre pages mark the lowest it has yet reached."

The centre pages referred to fraud squad snoopers who turned into a potato field in Lincoln and managed to find a few people who were getting unemployment benefit. It got the proper tabloid treatment, as we expect. The writer went on to say :

"The unholy glee exhibited by whoever wrote the article is unpleasant. £1 million a day 365 days a year is the estimate of monies deducted by employers from the wages of employees in Tax and Social Security contributions which are never paid over. That is a hell of a lot more than the £62.55 million the article boasts of." That was about the potato pickers, the social security claimants. The letter goes on :

"It says nothing of the alleged frauds' which were successfully fought by the beneficiaries.

Last year 157 people died on building sites. Over the past 8 years there has been a 20 per cent. cut in the numbers of safety inspectors--there are 12 for London and 90 for the rest of the country. Employment News never mentions that."

That is the scale of the fraud. As people have said, it is a licence to steal from the lowest-paid in Britain. That is usually the case because of the way in which people have to scramble for jobs. According to the northern regional low pay unit, it all arose from the change in the law instituted by the right hon. Member for Sutton Coldfield (Sir N. Fowler), who has now left to look after his family. He was the Secretary of State for Social Services, and in 1984 he changed the rules to allow employers off the hook. He said : "I have examined carefully the special power contained in section 152(4) of the Social Security Act 1975, under which

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