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Parliamentary Questions
13. Mr. Tony Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what has been the cost of answering parliamentary questions to his Department during the past 12 months.
Miss Widdecombe: An estimated £212,300.
Mr. Banks: It is nice to know that hon. Members are keeping Ministers busy, even if the Ministers are not
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capable of keeping the unemployed busy. Would not it be a nice gesture if the hon. Members who take money for asking those questions sent a certain proportion back to the Department to defray expenses? Alternatively, could not the money be put into a fund for the election campaign of the Secretary of State?Miss Widdecombe: I do not in the least begrudge the hon. Gentleman the rather large amount of taxpayers' money that has been spent keeping up with his own questions. He has asked about four times the average number of parliamentary questions. If he is concerned about the public purse, he may wish to reduce the number of demands that he makes upon it.
Unemployment, Yorkshire and Humberside
14. Mr. Michael Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the current level of unemployment in the Yorkshire and Humberside region.
Mr. Paice: In September, seasonally adjusted claimant unemployment stood at 221,300, down 30,100 since December 1992.
Mr. Brown: In welcoming my hon. Friend to his new duties and his long-overdue promotion, may I congratulate him and the Government on those figures? Can he tell the House the extent to which unemployment has fallen in Brigg and Cleethorpes? Is not it true that, as a result of tremendous inward investment projects by Samsung and Kimberley Clark in my constituency, the unemployment rate will continue to fall in the Yorkshire and Humberside region for many months to come?
Mr. Paice: I am delighted to confirm to my hon. Friend that those figures are replicated in his constituency. Unemployment has fallen in the past month, in the past year, in the past two years and in the past eight years.
Mr. Gunnell: I agree that unemployment has fallen in the constituency of the hon. Member for Brigg and Cleethorpes (Mr. Brown), which is due in part to overseas investment from Kimberley Clark. As one who was directly involved in attracting that investment, may I ask the Minister to accept that it owed a great deal to Labour-controlled Humberside county council and that Labour authorities have been fully co- operative in attracting all inward investment projects? Does he agree that their welcome has played a significant part in achieving many successes?
Mr. Paice: I am happy to pay tribute where tribute is due. The simple fact is that if the Labour council has helped inward investment, a Labour Government certainly would not, because by implementing the social chapter and a minimum wage they would destroy any prospect of inward investment.
Mr. John Greenway: I, too, welcome my hon. Friend to his new duties. Does he agree that the unemployment rate in the rural areas of Yorkshire is way below the average not just in the United Kingdom but throughout the European Union? Does he also agree that the Government's initiative to improve the rural economy even further, announced at last week's party conference, will be a great boost to jobs in rural areas?
Mr. Paice: My hon. Friend knows of my great sympathy for rural areas; he is absolutely right. The
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Government's White Paper on rural areas, which was announced last week, will lead to even further stimulus for a range of enterprises to improve employment opportunities in rural areas.Youth Unemployment
15. Mr. McFall: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what discussions he has had with his EC counterparts on the issue of unemployment in the EU, with particular reference to youth unemployment.
Miss Widdecombe: There have been many discussions, both bilaterally and in the Labour and Social Affairs Council, and Community counterparts are beginning to recognise that high labour costs and inflexible labour markets are among the key causes of high unemployment.
Mr. McFall: Does the Minister accept that it is disgraceful that 16 million people are unemployed in Europe and that it is even more shameful that 20 per cent. of them are young people aged between 18 and 25? Will the Government give a commitment today to consider the future of young people in this country as important? Will they therefore make it their No. 1 priority in Europe and at least say that they will try to get young people back to work?
Miss Widdecombe: It is because the Government are concerned about youth unemployment that we rejoice in the fact that our youth unemployment rate is well below the European average. The unemployment rate among under 25-year-olds in this country is 13.2 per cent. while the European average is 19.4 per cent. Our youth unemployment rate, together with that of Spain, is falling faster than in any other country. There are 84,600 fewer 18 to 20-year-olds unemployed in this country than there were last year. That is the way to lead Europe--by example.
Mr. Rowe: Has my hon. Friend noticed that the folk she meets along the streets are whistling Samsung? This country leads Europe in attracting inward investment from all over the world. Does she agree that that success is a major contributor to the fall in unemployment, particularly youth unemployment?
Miss Widdecombe: It is clear that the reason why we attract 40 per cent. of all investment in Europe carried out by the United States and Japan is our flexible labour markets. Those markets have not been achieved by some neo-classical endogenous theory, but by solid, practical, flexible policies, which have resulted in solid, practical jobs for our citizens. We shall continue to pursue those policies.
Disabled People
16. Mr. Wareing: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment with whom he has had recent discussions about discrimination in employment against disabled people; and if he will make a statement.
Miss Widdecombe: Employment Department Ministers have had meetings with a number of organisations to discuss the Government's proposals to tackle discrimination against disabled people. Following
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the consideration of the responses to consultations on those proposals, the Government will take decisions on the most practical way forward.Mr. Wareing: Does the Minister realise that a disabled person has a three times greater chance of being unemployed than an able-bodied person? It needs no further consultation to realise that fact, does it? Will the Minister now join the new Minister for Social Security and Disabled People- -the last one having been sacked--and agree to support fully the legislation introduced by my hon. Friend the Member for Kingswood (Mr. Berry)?
Miss Widdecombe: It is because we recognise the importance of assisting people with disabilities that we have already put measures in hand, while the Opposition have merely talked. That is why 53,300 disabled people were assisted into work by our jobcentres last year; why our access to work scheme has been put into place with an increased budget that now amounts to £14.6 million; why we introduced the disability working allowance; and why we set up placing and assessment counselling teams. And that is why we set up a special consultation process, the 1,000 responses to which the hon. Gentleman dismisses so glibly. We shall analyse those and do them the justice that they deserve.
PRIME MINISTER
Engagements
Q1. Mrs. Anne Campbell: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 18 October.
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.
Mrs. Campbell: Did the Prime Minister's predecessor break the code of conduct for Ministers when her son, Mark Thatcher, made £12 million from the Al-Yamamah arms negotiations?
The Prime Minister: I have no doubt that my right hon. and noble Friend acted with complete propriety throughout her long and distinguished period as Prime Minister of this country. If the hon. Lady has any evidence to the contrary, I hope that she will produce it rather than peddling remarks like that.
Q2. Mr. Devlin: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 18 October.
The Prime Minister: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave some moments ago.
Mr. Devlin: Does my right hon. Friend agree that yesterday's announcement that Samsung is to bring 3,500 jobs to Stockton-on-Tees will be very welcome in the town, where we have long had high unemployment? Will he confirm the Government's continuing commitment to the sort of regional policies that have brought that about?
The Prime Minister: I very much welcome the announcement by Samsung. It is extremely good news for the north-east. Throughout much of the past 30 years, there have been very high levels of unemployment in the north- east and everyone will recognise the importance of that substantial investment. I know that my hon. Friend
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has campaigned for Cleveland for a long time and will be very pleased by it. It follows a series of other welcomeinvestments--Motorola, Digital and NEC--none of which would have come to this country but for the economic policies that we have followed, the fact that we are not part of the social chapter and the fact that we are members of the European Union.
Mr. Blair: Since this is our first chance after the recess, may I say how much we welcome the further moves towards peace in Northern Ireland and assure the Prime Minister of our continued support in achieving that peace.
Last Thursday on BBC television, the Chancellor of the Exchequer specifically ruled out a referendum on a single currency. Did he speak for the Government?
The Prime Minister: First, may I congratulate the right hon. Gentleman on his new position. It carries with it very great responsibilities, and I wish him well in those responsibilities for as long as he holds them.
On Northern Ireland, I am grateful for what the right hon. Gentleman had to say. It is and has been an intractable problem for many years. We have made some progress. There is no certainty that we shall be able to carry the process through successfully to a conclusion. I believe that there is a chance--perhaps a better chance than we have known at any time in the past quarter of a century. I intend to take the opportunities that exist, but I hope that I shall carry the House with me in saying that we must take them with care, with caution and in our own time. I believe that that is the only way in which we shall carry with us all the people of Northern Ireland, without which we shall not be able to carry the matter through to a satisfactory conclusion.
As for the right hon. Gentleman's substantive question, at the moment no one knows what may be at issue in the intergovernmental conference in 1996. The question of a referendum on any issue does not arise and very probably will not arise.
Mr. Blair: With all due respect, the Chancellor specifically ruled it out and therefore he thought that it did arise. Is not that the problem: that the Chancellor takes one view on Europe, the Employment Secretary takes another view and the Prime Minister hovers between the two? Does he-- [Interruption.]
Madam Speaker: Order. The House will come to order.
Mr. Blair: I repeat: he hovers between the two. Does he agree that a divided Government is a weak Government, and a weak Government is no good for Britain?
The Prime Minister: The right hon. Gentleman has already said that, were he to form a Government, it would be a weak Government, and that is precisely because he said that his Government would not be isolated in Europe. Irrespective of the issue, irrespective of the British interest, irrespective of the views of the House or the Members of the House, and irrespective of the views of his colleagues below the Gangway, the right hon. Gentleman would follow slavishly whatever Europe says. That is not a credible position for any Government in this country.
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We will judge issues on their merits as they arise.Sir James Kilfedder: May I congratulate my right hon. Friend on being the first Prime Minister in more than half a century to achieve the cessation of terrorism in Northern Ireland? Is he aware that the people of Northern Ireland fully endorse his careful and cautious approach because, as he realises, until the terrorists hand over their dumps of Semtex explosives and arms, there is the real danger that they or a breakaway group could easily use them on some pretext, saying that the British Government had failed to deliver their promises?
The Prime Minister: My hon. Friend speaks with a great deal of knowledge of the situation in Northern Ireland for many years, and has had to live through many tragedies affecting his constituents. I listen, therefore, very carefully to what he has to say about Northern Ireland.
As I said a moment ago, we shall continue to be cautious. Armaments-- especially Semtex and detonators, perhaps more than guns--are a crucial issue that will have to be dealt with as we advance the process.
Q3. Mr. Pike: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 18 October.
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave some moments ago.
Mr. Pike: Recognising the Prime Minister's commitment to the national health service, as restated last week, will he understand the worry that exists at national blood transfusion service centres under threat of closure, such as Lancaster and Liverpool, where the staff are drawing attention to the dangers of reduction in service if those centres are allowed to close? Will he intervene now and say that those centres must be kept open to maintain the level of service?
The Prime Minister: I entirely agree with the hon. Gentleman that it is important to have a proper blood service in all parts of the country. I will ensure that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health examines in detail the remarks that he made this afternoon.
It should be recognised throughout the House and beyond that there is no one in the House who does not share an affection for the national health service, who does not wish to see it built up-- [Interruption.] Many of the Opposition Members who are muttering sat in the House when the last Labour Government cut the hospital programme by a third. They should know that there are now 20,000 more doctors, an extra 3,000 patients treated every day, and one large increase in facilities costing more than £1 million for every eight days throughout the 15 years that the Conservative party has been in power. That is a formidable commitment to the national health service, and it is the commitment of this Government.
Q4. Mr. Nigel Evans: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 18 October.
The Prime Minister: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave some moments ago.
Mr. Evans: Does my right hon. Friend agree that the recent news that there is to be a central computer for organ donors is welcome, not only to the 5,000-plus people awaiting organ transplants, but to their families?
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Can he assure us that when the scheme starts it will be given as much publicity as possible to entice as many millions of people as possible to register?The Prime Minister: I will certainly look at what my hon. Friend has to say. There is no doubt that a central register will help hospitals and bring a great deal of new hope to the people waiting for life-saving operations. We will, therefore, examine the issue of publicity and see that the scheme gets as much as possible .
Q5. Mr. Clelland: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 18 October.
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave some moments ago.
Mr. Clelland: When millions of British families are suffering mass unemployment, poverty, a deteriorating environment and rampaging crime, is it right that so much attention should be focused on the marital problems of one very rich family?
The Prime Minister: I have no intention of commenting on the subject to which the hon. Gentleman clearly refers.
On the subject of employment and unemployment, the hon. Gentleman might welcome, with me, the fact that unemployment has now been falling consistently, in large numbers, for getting on for two years--including a further fall of 28,000 just a few days ago. That trend looks as though it will continue; it is a trend that has come about because we have now returned to a position of low inflation and high growth. Indeed, for one of the very few periods in the past 50 years or so, growth now exceeds inflation. That is the best guarantee, not only of more jobs, but of ensuring that those with jobs retain secure jobs in future.
Q6. Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 18 October.
The Prime Minister: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave some moments ago.
Mr. Bellingham: Is my right hon. Friend aware that, on the subject of grant-maintained schools, Norfolk is in the lead? In those schools morale is high and, above all, there is overwhelming parental support. Will my right hon. Friend confirm that he will not return those grant-maintained schools to local authority control--unlike the Leader of the Opposition, who wants to turn the education clock back to the failed policies of the 1960s and 1970s?
The Prime Minister: I certainly can offer my hon. Friend the reassurance that he seeks. The development of grant-maintained schools has been a great success. It has tremendous support from well over 1 million parents. [Interruption.] I think that the Opposition are saying that it is a disaster that 1 million parents are now getting what they want for their children. The Government do not
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regard that as a disaster; the Government regard that as choice, which I thought was now one of the mantras of the new Labour party.Q7. Mr. Tyler: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 18 October.
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave some moments ago.
Mr. Tyler: In the light of his previous answer, can the Prime Minister reassure the House that his Administration is now a sleaze-free zone?
The Prime Minister: I am as concerned as any Member in the House or any person in this country that we should have the highest standards in public life. I approve of corruption no more than I assume does the hon. Gentleman, and I will not accept it. Our public servants and our public institutions are acknowledged to be among the best in the world. In order to maintain that reputation in administration and in politics, wrongdoing will have to be rooted out wherever it is, and I shall seek to ensure that it is.
Sir Anthony Durant: I congratulate my right hon. Friend on his skill in dealing with the situation in Northern Ireland. We strongly support the caution that he is exerting in the negotiations. Meanwhile, will he ensure that there are enough troops on the streets of Northern Ireland to reassure the people of Northern Ireland?
The Prime Minister: I am happy to give my hon. Friend that assurance. The details of policing on the streets are properly a matter for the General Officer Commanding and the Chief Constable, not for direct political decision. But for as long as it is necessary for the police, the RUC or troops to be on the streets of Northern Ireland to protect all its people, whichever part of Northern Ireland they come from, they will be made available.
Q8. Mr. McFall: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 18 October.
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave some moments ago.
Mr. McFall: Does the Prime Minister agree that his noble Friend Lord Archer owes the public an explanation as to his share dealings? Will he therefore authorise a DTI report on those share dealings?
The Prime Minister: I welcome the opportunity that the hon. Gentleman has given me to make the position entirely clear; I agree with the hon. Gentleman that it is appropriate that I should do so. There are clear statutory procedures surrounding investigations of the sort that concern Lord Archer. When concern first arose about the Anglia TV share dealings, my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade appointed independent inspectors to investigate the circumstances surrounding dealings in Anglia Television shares--
Mr. Campbell-Savours: Why did they not publish?
The Prime Minister: If the hon. Gentleman will wait a while the whole House will be able to hear the answer that his hon. Friend has requested.
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When the inspectors' report was received, my right hon. Friend the President also took independent legal advice on their conclusions. It was therefore on the basis of the inspectors' conclusions and of the legal advice that my right hon. Friend sought that he decided that there was no further action to be taken under the insider dealing legislation. If there had been, action would have been taken. If I may deal now with the question shouted by the hon. Member for Workington (Mr. Campbell-Savours), there is no provision in the Financial Services Act 1986 for inspectors' reports to be published. Indeed, when the Bill was considered before Parliament it was made clear that inspectors' reports would not be published. Investigations are undertaken on that basis; evidence is given on that basis; and it would not be right to change the position retrospectively.BILL PRESENTED
Deregulation of Trade Unions
Mr. Tony Benn, supported by Mr. Jeremy Corbyn, Mr. Bernie Grant, Mr. Gerry Sutcliffe, Mr. Alan Simpson, Ms Diane Abbott, Mr. Bill Etherington and Mrs. Alice Mahon, presented a Bill to amend, and make provision for the amendment of, statutory provisions and rules of law affecting trade unions, and for purposes connected therewith: And the same was read the First time; and ordered to be read a Second time upon Friday 28 October, and to be printed. [Bill 161.]
Statutory Instruments, &c.
Madam Speaker: With permission, I shall put together the motions relating to statutory instruments.
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Motion made, and Question put forthwith pursuant to Standing Order No. 101(3) (Standing Committees on Statutory Instruments, &c.),Income Tax
That the draft Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Income) (Estonia) Order 1994 be referred to a Standing Committee on Statutory Instruments, &c.
That the draft Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Income) (Guernsey) Order 1994 be referred to a Standing Committee on Statutory Instruments, &c.
That the draft Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Income) (Isle of Man) Order 1994 be referred to a Standing Committee on Statutory Instruments, &c.
That the draft Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Income) (Jersey) Order 1994 be referred to a Standing Committee on Statutory Instruments, &c.
That the draft Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Income) (Kazakhstan) Order 1994 be referred to a Standing Committee on Statutory Instruments, &c.
That the draft Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Income) (Mexico) Order 1994 be referred to a Standing Committee on Statutory Instruments, &c.
That the draft Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Income) (Russian Federation) Order 1994 be referred to a Standing Committee on Statutory Instruments, &c.
That the draft Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Estates of Deceased Persons and Inheritances) (Switzerland) Order 1994 be referred to a Standing Committee on Statutory Instruments, &c. That the draft Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Income) (Vietnam) Order 1994 be referred to a Standing Committee on Statutory Instruments, &c.
That the draft Double Taxation Relief (Taxes on Income) (Switzerland) Order 1994 be referred to a Standing Committee on Statutory Instruments, &c. -- [Mr. Burns.]
Question agreed to.
Madam Speaker: Order. Would Members who are leaving the Chamber do so quickly and quietly? It is far too noisy in here, and we have business to conduct.
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