§ Q2. Mr. William Hamiltonasked the Prime Minister what progress he has made in the convening of a national conference to discuss with representatives from both sides of industry all matters relating to productivity.
§ The Prime MinisterI would refer my hon. Friend to the Answers I gave to Questions on this subject on 21st July.
§ Mr. HamiltonCan my right hon. Friend say whether this is a once-for-all exercise, or a continuing process on both 246 a national and a regional basis? Will he consider publishing some kind of list of the people who will be invited to these conferences so that we may know exactly who represents what?
§ The Prime MinisterIt is not a once-for-all exercise. I hope that it will be the beginning of a process involving not only national and regional consultation on productivity as my hon. Friend has suggested, but sides of industry, too. I will certainly consider publishing a list of those who are to attend.
§ Mr. Ian LloydWill the Prime Minister make a clear condemnation of the concept of "sides of industry" which is about as obsolete as the phlogiston theory? Will he emphasise that the winning of the productivity cup will demand a very different sort of effort from the winning of the World Cup?
§ The Prime MinisterI do not think that I want at this point to make a pronouncement about the phlogiston theory. I would rather make one about the World Cup. As for the phrase "sides of industry", I think that it has been widely recognised for a very long time that there are some very important groupings in industry—and one thinks of the technicians, technologists, designers and salesmen—who are not easy to attribute to a simple bilateral division in industry.