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Scott Inquiry
9. Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the implications for the policy of open government of the evidence on parliamentary answers given by Sir Michael Quinlan to the Scott inquiry.[32612]
Mr. Freeman: The adversarial nature of Question Time does not detract from the Government's commitment to be as open as possible with Parliament and the public.
Mr. Dalyell: Why has the Deputy Prime Minister funked answering the question himself?
Mr. Freeman: I am sorry that the hon. Gentleman is not content. I am the Minister responsible not only for the
code of conduct but for the rules that apply to all Ministers when they answer to Parliament. I am the Minister with day-to-day responsibility for the civil service and I have answered the debates on both Nolan and Scott. If the hon. Gentleman had wanted to ask a supplementary, I would have willingly replied in--I hope--a constructive fashion.
Mr. Dalyell: So, may I have a supplementary?
Madam Speaker: No. The hon. Gentleman had a supplementary and I thought it was perfectly proper.
Magistrates (Bolton)
10. Mr. Thurnham: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what representations he has received about the recruitment and working conditions of magistrates in Bolton.[32613]
Mr. Freeman: I approved the appointment of 18 persons to the Bolton bench earlier this year, following recommendations from my advisory committee in Bolton. The working conditions of magistrates in Bolton are a matter for my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department.
Mr. Thurnham: Is the Chancellor aware of how strongly people in Bolton feel about the need for a new magistrates court? Will he press his colleagues in the Lord Chancellor's Department and the Treasury to give an immediate go-ahead to that important contract, which was so unfairly stopped?
Mr. Freeman: The hon. Gentleman refers to the buildings in Bolton that house the magistrates courts, which date from the 1930s. As I understand the situation from the Lord Chancellor's Department, a private finance initiative proposal is on the table. I give my assurance to the hon. Gentleman and to the House that I will investigate the status of that proposal and convey to the Lord Chancellor and to my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary not only the hon. Gentleman's concern but my interest.
Government Policies (Promotion)
12. Mr. Winnick: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department in promoting Government policies.[32615]
Mr. Willetts: The results of the fundamental expenditure review of the Office of Public Service have been published. The effectiveness of the Department is kept under review through MINIS--the ministerial information system.
Mr. Winnick: Can the Minister explain why the Government have the lowest opinion poll ratings of all time, are incapable of winning any by-elections and have done dismally at local elections? Would not it be wise for the Prime Minister to summon up enough courage to call an autumn election? If he is speculating about doing that, as we are told in the press, why does not he pluck up the courage, call it and let the people decide?
Mr. Willetts: My party won two local authority by-elections last Thursday. We had a successful
conclusion to the European Commission's proposals on beef at the European summit and we shall publish an exciting White Paper on education tomorrow. In due course, we shall put our policies to the electorate.Ministerial Responsibilities
13. Mr. Jacques Arnold: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what was the principal Government policy with which he was concerned in the week beginning17 June.[32616]
The Deputy Prime Minister: I have continued to work on a full range of those Government policies for which I am responsible.
Mr. Arnold: In view of the callous bombing in Manchester recently, I welcome the visit that my right hon. Friend intends to make to that city. Will he ensure that every arm of Government rallies around Manchester to help it to recover fully from that outrage?
The Deputy Prime Minister: I am extremely grateful to my hon. Friend for asking that question. The Prime Minister has asked me to go to Manchester on Wednesday this week, and I shall do so. I hope to meet with civic and private sector leaders in order to ensure that the Government's resources are used effectively wherever appropriate. If those resources can be co-ordinated better in dealing with the horrendous consequences of that dastardly act, the Government will have done all that is proper in the circumstances.
Mr. Lewis: When the right hon. Gentleman visits Manchester on Wednesday, will he meet small business people from the Corn Exchange and the Royal Exchange complexes? Small businesses have suffered huge financial losses in the past week and some business people cannot access the buildings to see what stock they have left. I am afraid that insurance companies are already ducking and diving about insurance matters. When the right hon. Gentleman visits Manchester, I ask him to meet those people and to not go empty-handed.
The Deputy Prime Minister: I shall go with the intention of meeting as wide a representation of the community as I can during what, by definition, must be a limited visit. I expect to see representatives of small and medium companies. The first stage is to visit the city, to listen to the people and to take stock of the situation. That is obviously what my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister wants me to do before I report back to him.
Millennium Exhibition
14. Mr. Spearing: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what part he has played in the planning of a millennium exhibition.[32617]
The Deputy Prime Minister: As a member of the Millennium Commission, I have taken part in numerous discussions about the exhibition. Over the past month,I have been working with Sir Peter Levene, who was asked by the commission to advise members on the commercial soundness and practical feasibility of proposals. There is now significant private sector support
for the plans and, as the chairman of the commission announced last week, the exhibition is going ahead at Greenwich.
Mr. Spearing: Is the Deputy Prime Minister aware that, when I asked the Secretary of State for National Heritage on Friday what recent decisions she had made about the exhibition, she replied that she would answer as soon as possible? As the Deputy Prime Minister is a member of the commission, is he aware of my suggestions of some weeks ago that we celebrate the millennium on both a regional and a national basis? Greenwich is the originator of mean time and young people should be encouraged to look towards 2051 to see how we could implement nationally and internationally the purposes and the aims of the United Nations charter. Is it too late for that sort of vision to be incorporated in the mess that now confronts the country?
The Deputy Prime Minister: I am sorry that the hon. Gentleman should describe the millennium festival in that manner. All parties welcome the fact that the country proposes to stage what appears to be the largest event of its sort in the world. Its purpose is to show Britain at its best as it faces the new century, and I hope that that spirit will be adopted by all. It is not a party political event--a Labour party representative is a member of the Millennium Commission and I welcome the statements emanating from the Labour party in support of it. My fellow commissioners and I are working with the private sector to ensure that there is the widest possible manifestation of support from that sector. We are in the business of projecting the excellence of this country into the next century, and we all have an interest in that.
Mr. Congdon: I welcome the efforts that have been made to secure the millennium exhibition for Greenwich, and in particular, the work of my right hon. Friend in helping to bring that about. What steps will be taken to ensure that there are long-term benefits from the regeneration of that important site in Greenwich?
The Deputy Prime Minister: My hon. Friend asks an important question which is much in the minds of Millennium Commission members. I have visited many regeneration projects in many cities. When projects begin, it is extremely difficult to predict how the regeneration process will develop as confidence builds. It is dangerous to try to forecast some dramatic scheme that is devised by planners and politicians on the basis of wishful thinking rather than on a factual assessment. That could choke the spontaneous working of the market, which can encourage a degree of confidence and produce a range of proposals that were not envisaged by the originators of the scheme. It is difficult to strike a balance, but we shall do what we can to ensure the most imaginative use of the site in the longer term. However, the Millennium Commission is responsible for organising the festival.
Florence Summit
15. Mr. Alan W. Williams: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what contribution he has made to the promotion of Government policy in respect of the Florence summit; and if he will make a statement.[32619]
The Deputy Prime Minister: The Prime Minister will make a statement to the House on the Florence European Council today.
Mr. Williams: The Deputy Prime Minister will accept that farmers in my constituency are not exactly dancing with delight at the result of the Florence summit. An extra 100,000 cattle are to be slaughtered, 95 per cent. of which have no traces of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, in exchange for a framework agreement without a timetable. What part did the right hon. Gentleman play in this humiliating climbdown for Britain in Europe?
The Deputy Prime Minister: The hon. Gentleman knows perfectly well that the Prime Minister's achievements at the Florence summit exceeded all expectations. It is not for me to anticipate my right hon. Friend's statement, but I can say that the thing most likely to prejudice the summit's successful outcome was the Leader of the Opposition telling the Germans what they wanted to hear before the summit, at the expense of British self-interest.
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