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Mr. Martin O'Neill (Ochil): Could the hon. Gentleman advise me as to what I should say to elderly constituents who have worked in textile mills and are in receipt of small pensions on which they have to pay income tax? Why should their income tax subsidise the better-off who can afford the kind of health insurance to which he refers and for which the premiums are large?
Mr. Spring: I fear that the hon. Gentleman's arithmetic is a little awry. If 200,000 elderly people come off private health insurance and start using the facilities of the health service, it will be an entirely different story. That will increase the tax burden for everybody--including the hon. Gentleman's constituents.
On green taxes, we must all be aware of the importance of preserving the environment and the legacy that we will pass to our children and grandchildren. It was announced today by the Chancellor that there is to be a substantial increase in fuel taxes, and this will have an impact in rural areas. But the importance of the environment in rural areas cannot be isolated. An increase in fuel taxes, and a roads programme that effectively prevents the proper repair and care of the roads system and potentially denies bypasses around rural villages, will mean that a different kind of environment is affected--our architectural heritage, which will be damaged by heavy traffic. That is a matter of regret and I hope that it will be remedied in due course. If we are to be sensitive about the environment, let us be sensitive about the impact on our architectural heritage of increasing fuel taxes in isolation and about the need for a high environmental quality in rural areas.
I wish to refer to the reduction of MIRAS. In my view, it would be desirable to consider the possibility of allowing first-time buyers--who need most help in the housing market--to have help directed to them, rather than a general phasing down which excludes that important group. We heard from the Chancellor today of his dedication to home ownership; such a system would be a powerful incentive for young people.
Mr. Jim Murphy (Eastwood):
Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, for allowing me to make my maiden speech during the first Budget debate under a Labour Government for nearly two decades. I am delighted to have the opportunity to speak in such an important debate.
One thing that has struck me about the maiden speeches made so far by hon. Members on both sides of the House is the way in which those hon. Members have made their
constituencies sound like the type of place in which I would like to spend my summer recess. Although I do not promise to persuade the House that Eastwood is the tourist capital of the United Kingdom, I hope that I can at least match some of their eloquence and commitment.
Until 2 am on 2 May, Eastwood was the safest Conservative seat in Scotland, but I am glad to say that that is no longer the case. Eastwood, which I am privileged to represent, is made up of many unique and distinct villages and communities. Eaglesham is the picturesque conservation village, soon to benefit from a bypass. Neilston, Uplawmoor, Busby and Thornliebank are all distinct villages in their own right, with a distinct culture. Giffnock, Netherlee, Stamperland and Newton Mearns are prosperous suburban areas from which many people commute to Glasgow. Barrhead, an industrial town on the outskirts of the constituency, is resilient in bad times, innovative in good times and loyal to Labour throughout, and has a unique sense of local pride.
Eastwood's sense of community is added to by the number and variety of voluntary and civic organisations that are working determinedly, particularly those that are committed to working with the young, the elderly and the disabled. We are also fortunate to be served by two excellent local newspapers, the Barrhead News and the Eastwood Extra. Hundreds of small businesses in Eastwood employ more than 10,000 local people. They will welcome new Labour's new commitment to a fairer deal and lower taxes for small and medium businesses. Farmers in Eastwood will also welcome the new Government's plans for a clearer policy on agriculture, and their commitment to clearing up the BSE mess.
Like many of my colleagues, I believe that my constituency is much more than just the towns and villages that make it up. Its greatest asset is its people. Let me mention a few of them. Sir John Montgomerie, Lord of Eaglesham, fought the English at the battle of Otterburn in 1388; I am pleased to say that he was a member of the victorious army of the Earl of Douglas. John Shanks, who formed Shanks and Co. in 1852--it was based in Barrhead--is famous for the invention of the water closet.
Mr. Rhodri Morgan (Cardiff, West):
That was Mr. Crapper.
Mr. Murphy:
I will not respond to that sedentary intervention.
John Shanks's enduring contribution to all our lives is such that any hon. Member who visits any public convenience, even in the House of Commons, will be aware of his craftsmanship. Although Eastwood may not be the tourist centre of the United Kingdom, it is, perhaps, the most convenient area in the United Kingdom.
Other persons of note in Eastwood were the Crum brothers from Thornliebank who set up a printing company. They pre-empted by more than 100 years the current Prime Minister's commitment to the environment and ethical industries. Theirs was one of the first smoke-free factories. They employed a local doctor, and built local housing, schools and recreation facilities. Alexander Crum went on to become a Liberal Member of Parliament in 1880.
I want to pay tribute to my predecessor Allan Stewart, not simply because it is the customary thing to do but because it is the right thing to do. I often disagreed with
Allan Stewart's views, and in the early part of the election campaign we both rehearsed our arguments convincingly. Allan was always strong and strident in expressing his beliefs, regardless of which party they fitted and which arrangements he upset. Hon. Members will know that he has been through a difficult patch recently; I am pleased to say that he has now left hospital, and I am sure that the House will join me in sending best wishes to him and his family, and wishing him a full recovery.
Another of my predecessors, Robert Nicholl, was the only other Labour Member of Parliament for Eastwood. He was elected in 1922. A little-known fact is that he was the great-uncle of my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow, Cathcart (Mr. Maxton), who is present this evening. He had two great passions, for which he became renowned in the House. The first was campaigning for smaller classes in primary schools. In 1923, he spoke in the House in favour of reducing classes to 65 pupils or fewer, which gives some indication of the position at the time. Perhaps we have made some progress since then.
Robert Nicholl may have failed in his second important contribution. He campaigned in favour of brevity in Members' speeches. Although we have halved the size of primary school classes, I fear that in the intervening 75 years we have doubled the length of Members' speeches, although I have no intention of following that example this evening.
Robert Nicholl's tenure in Eastwood was short. He lasted only 23 months, and died at the age of 35 a few months after leaving the House. As the first Labour Member of Parliament for Eastwood for nearly three quarters of a century, I hope and expect to remain here a great deal longer than Mr. Nicholl. In that aim, I have an unexpected but welcome ally in the shape of the Scottish Conservative party, whose members, given their antics and divisions, seem intent on keeping me here for some time.
In the Scottish Conservative party, common sense now seems like a distant relative. Scottish Conservatives seem to believe that they lost the election simply because of the constitutional issue, but that is not the case. The contents of today's Budget bear more compelling testimony to their political impotence in Scotland than any constitutional debate. The Budget statement, to which we listened with great interest, set out an agenda for the 21st century. It is an entirely different type of Budget: a Budget for the many, not the few. At its core is the plan for a windfall levy, providing new opportunities for a new generation.
Many young people in my constituency, and in constituencies throughout the United Kingdom, have known only a Conservative Government. Eastwood has more young voters than any other constituency in Scotland and, for too long, for too many young people, politics has been a source of problems. As a consequence of the Budget, politics can at last begin to become a source of solutions in those young people's lives.
There are 25,000 young unemployed Scots, many of them long-term unemployed. Some have never worked in their lives--yet we hear from Conservative Members that we should not introduce a windfall levy to alleviate the problem. Scottish Power has made a profit of £1.9 billion
since privatisation. Labour Members believe that we should employ those excess profits to put young people in Scotland back to work.
My right hon. Friend the Chancellor talked extensively about pensioners and a fairer deal for them. There are more than 14,000 pensioners in Eastwood, and they will welcome his announcement of a reduction in value added tax on fuel. That will bring about real change in their lives.
The people of Eastwood and of Scotland in general will welcome our core agenda of the people's priorities of health, education and jobs--those were the issues on which I fought the general election campaign--and will be pleased to know that there is to be an extra £200 million for services in Scotland next year. Already, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland has announced that £9 million--additional money to provide additional services and facilities--will go towards Scotland's schools this year.
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