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Economy
15. Mr. Dennis Skinner (Bolsover): When he next expects to meet the Governor of the Bank of England to discuss the state of the economy. [79459]
The Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Mr. Alan Milburn): My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer meets the Governor of the Bank of England regularly to discuss a range of issues.
Mr. Skinner: Will my right hon. Friend tell the Governor of the Bank of England and anybody else he bumps into that, in Bolsover and Barnsley, people are not talking about the withholding tax yet? What they are talking about is jobs. Unemployment is a problem that has to be resolved by this Government before the next election. In about 120 or 150 constituencies mainly represented by Labour Members of Parliament, in the coalfields and old industrial areas, unemployment is still too high.
Will the Minister give a guarantee that, in the next few months, we will ensure that regional aid of all descriptions is not reduced? Will he also ensure that the
82 recommendations in the coalfields task force report, which would considerably help those areas, will be implemented and that the money will be found as soon as possible?
Mr. Milburn:
As my hon. Friend is well aware, the Government are considering the recommendations of the report of the coalfields task force. He will be aware that the new regional development agencies have now come into being. They will act as a powerhouse for economic regeneration, especially in regions such as his and mine. He will also be aware that, since the general election, unemployment has continued to fall; employment has continued to go up; an extra 400,000 people are now in work; youth and long-term unemployment have been halved; and the new deal is proving especially effective precisely in communities such as his own that most need the creation of new jobs.
Business of the House
12.30 pm
Sir George Young (North-West Hampshire): May I ask the Leader of the House to give us the business for next week?
The President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (Mrs. Margaret Beckett): The business will be as follows:
Monday 19 April--There will be a debate on Kosovo on a motion for the Adjournment of the House.
Tuesday 20 April--Second Reading of the Finance Bill.
Wednesday 21 April--Until 2 o'clock there will be debates on the motion for the Adjournment of the House.
Opposition day [9th Allotted Day].
Until about 7 o'clock there will be a debate on Government taxation of the haulage industry. Followed by a debate on the crisis in British livestock farming. Both debates will arise on Opposition motions.
Thursday 22 April--Second Reading of the Disability Rights Commission Bill [Lords].
Friday 23 April--Private Members' Bills.
The provisional business for the following week will be as follows:
Monday 26 April--Debate on defence equipment.
Tuesday 27 April--Progress on consideration in Committee of the Finance Bill.
Wednesday 28 April--Until 2 o'clock there will be debates on the motion for the Adjournment of the House.
Conclusion of consideration in Committee of the Finance Bill.
Thursday 29 April--Opposition Day [10th Allotted Day].
There will be a debate on an Opposition motion, subject to be announced.
Friday 30 April--Private Members' Bills.
The House will also wish to know that on Wednesday 21 April there will be a debate on air transport competition rules in European Standing Committee A. Details of the relevant documents will be given in the Official Report.
[Wednesday 21 April:
European Standing Committee A--Relevant European Union document: 8582/97, Air Transport Competition Rules; Relevant report of the European Legislation Committee: HC 155-vi (1997-98).]
Sir George Young:
The House is grateful for the announcement of next week's business and for the indication of business in the following week. Will the Leader of the House confirm that the Prime Minister will make a statement on Monday, following the weekend summit? We welcome the subsequent debate on Kosovo; I know that the right hon. Lady will want to keep the House informed about developments.
I welcome the reinstatement of the first of the new-style debates on defence that the right hon. Lady has announced. However, the debate that was lost was on defence and the world, which was planned on the grounds
that it was logical to begin with policy and to move on to personnel and equipment. The debate that she has announced is on equipment. Is there a reason for that change?
There is still a backlog of promised debates: on the royal commission on long-term care; on the reform of the House of Lords; and on the national changeover plan for the euro. The House will expect to debate the recently published White Paper on modernising government and has still not considered the unresolved crisis facing the European Commission. When might we make a start on those important subjects?
There are no opportunities to question the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland until Wednesday week. Crucial talks have been taking place in the Province and the Secretary of State should keep the House in the picture by making a statement next week. Will the Leader of the House put that proposition to her right hon. Friend?
May the House be given the dates of the Whitsun recess, so that Members and staff can plan their diaries?
Finally, if the Prime Minister plans to be abroad on any future Wednesdays, could he take the Deputy Prime Minister with him and let someone else, perhaps the right hon. Lady, take Prime Minister's questions so as to avoid inflicting on the House the indignity that it suffered yesterday?
Mrs. Beckett:
It is anticipated that my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister will make a statement following the NATO summit, although I am sure that the right hon. Gentleman realises that that will be a week on Monday. Of course, we shall continue to keep the House informed about events in Kosovo, as we have done assiduously hitherto.
I am not aware that there is any particular significance in the different title for the MOD debate, but I shall draw the right hon. Gentleman's remarks to the attention of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State.
The right hon. Gentleman asked me about a number of debates on which he said we are building up a backlog. I should point out that we have put in several debates, such as the one on Kosovo on Monday and the one--we had just before the recess. It is right and important that the House should have those debates, but they take up time that might otherwise have been given to other issues.
The issue of long-term care requires considerable thought and preparation. The Government will come to the House when we have something further to say in that respect. We are mindful of the desire to debate the House of Lords White Paper. It is only a week since we had the statement on modernising government, but I have taken note of the right hon. Gentleman's request for debates at some point on that matter and on issues relating to the European Commission.
I do not recall--although I would probably have said that we would consider one--any request for a debate on the changeover plans for the euro. However, I remind the right hon. Gentleman and his party that there is a committee discussing those plans on which the Conservatives are perfectly welcome to sit--indeed, they made a nomination to that committee, which they subsequently withdrew. To be frank, it is a bit much for the Tory party to refuse to engage in discussions on the plans, but then to demand a debate on them in the House.
The right hon. Gentleman asked about a statement on Northern Ireland. I shall certainly draw his concerns to the attention of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. The right hon. Gentleman will know that my right hon. Friend is doing everything she can to resolve any difficulties that are arising there and that she endeavours to keep the House informed.
I am genuinely sorry to say that I cannot give the House any further information than I have already given on the dates of the Whitsun recess, but I shall do so as soon as I can. Finally, the right hon. Gentleman spoke about Prime Minister's Question Time, but I am sure that he has noticed that it is much rarer for the current Prime Minister not to be present at Question Time than it was for his predecessor.
Mr. Dale Campbell-Savours (Workington):
My right hon. Friend will know that Mr. Owen Oyston is in prison after being prosecuted on a charge of rape, and that many of us believe that he is innocent. Will she arrange for an early debate on the operation of the criminal cases review body, which lacks the resources to deal with a huge backlog of people who believe that they are innocent and await the referral of their case to the Court of Appeal?
Mrs. Beckett:
I shall certainly bear my hon. Friend's remarks in mind. He has raised those issues in the House on several occasions and I feel confident that he will continue to do so. We all share the concern about the backlog in dealing with cases of that nature, and I shall draw my hon. Friend's remarks to the attention of my relevant right hon. Friends.
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