PRIVATE INDUSTRY (Hansard, 2 March 1965)

§ Q3. Mr. William Hamilton
asked the Prime Minister what further approaches he intends to make to the representatives of private industry to secure their cooperation in the solution of the nation's difficulties.

§ Q11. Mr. Marten
asked the Prime Minister what response there has been to date to the approaches he has made to the representatives of private industry to secure their co-operation in the solution of the nation's difficulties.

§ Q19. Mr. Jackson
asked the Prime Minister what further approaches he plans to make to the representatives of private industry to secure their help in solving national difficulties.

§ Q20. Mr. Walden
asked the Prime Minister what consultations he is having with the leaders of private industry to seek their co-operation in solving the national economic problems.

§ The Prime Minister
My colleagues and I intend to continue the policies which have already secured notable co-operation from representatives of private industry, for example, in the reconstruction of the National Economic Development Council, the formation of Economic Development Committees and of Economic Planning Councils.

§ Mr. Hamilton
Is my right hon. Friend satisfied with the co-operation he has had up to now from private industry in the solution of our national difficulties? Does not he think it regrettable that the Leader of the Opposition has not publicly repudiated the views of the right hon. Member for Wolverhampton, South-West (Mr. Powell) in this regard—views which come very near to sedition?

§ The Prime Minister
I think that, so far as consultation and co-operation with industry is concerned, we have certainly every reason to feel satisfied with the progress made, though, as I have indicated elsewhere, I think we need—all of us—now to show more co-operation on both sides of industry to achieve the same objectives in connection with productivity and exports. So far as his reference to the Leader of the Opposition is concerned, I must say that I do not agree with my hon. Friend. I think that the Leader of the Opposition treats the remarks of the right hon. Member for Wolverhampton, South-West (Mr. Powell) with the same scorn as I do.

§ Sir Alec Douglas-Home
May I tell the Prime Minister that I do not accept that, but may I say to him that it applies to the hon. Member for Fife, West (Mr. William Hamilton)?

§ The Prime Minister
I was trying to get the right hon. Gentleman off the hook, but if he does not accept—I was trying to establish some bipartisanship on his part, but if he does not respond to it, perhaps he will now tell us whether he does agree with the right hon. Gentleman.

§ Mr. Speaker
I have the greatest difficulty in getting through Questions to Ministers. I should be grateful if 1130 Ministers would not put Questions to other people.

§ Mr. Marten
While acknowledging that Ministers opposite need all the help and advice which they can get from public-spirited members of the private sector, may I ask the Prime Minister whether it is true that these gentlemen are paid up to £12,000 a year, with pension allowance on top of that?

§ The Prime Minister
I am not sure which gentlemen the hon. Member is referring to—

§ Mr. Marten
The officers who are being recruited to Government service.

§ The Prime Minister
I was really dealing with Question No. 3. I think that the hon. Member's supplementary question is rather off-beat, in relation to a different question.

§ Mr. Jackson
Would not the Prime Minister consider, perhaps along the same lines as the exports awards scheme, devising some scheme by which factories, managers and workers doing particularly well in regard to productivity could secure some form of award? Secondly, would the Prime Minister consider some plan for those directors who have given good service to the country for perhaps 15 years receiving some small present like silver? Would the Prime Minister consider perhaps asking the right hon. Member for Wolverhampton, South-West (Mr. Powell) to decide whether the words, "With Gratitude" should be put on?

§ The Prime Minister
On the first part of my hon. Friend's question, the new system of awards to industry applies not only to export performance but to achievements in technology and innovation.

§ Mr. George Y. Mackie
Would the Prime Minister bear in mind that awards such as "Hero of the Export Drive" would not have such a great appeal to businessmen as the profit motive itself? Would he also bear in mind that perhaps the biggest enemy of the export drive is too soft a home market?

§ The Prime Minister
I was not aware that the Committee which is making proposals under the awards scheme was likely to come out with that particular title. I would be very surprised if it did. With regard to the profit motive, I think that the whole House knows that both the 1131 previous Government and we ourselves have devoted a good deal of effort to attempts to find viable export incentives of a financial kind, but we are hemmed in, as they were, by our international obligations and, to a large extent, by our national interests in this matter. Therefore, it has not been possible to find very much in that direction, but we shall go on looking and seeing what we can find. On the question of the home market, this has been the subject of great theological argument for very many years to my knowledge, but, of course, one of the problems here is that if the hon. Gentleman is suggesting that the only way to get exports is to have deflation and under-capacity working in this country, I believe that that would be completely contrary to the interests of the nation.