§ Q3. Mr. Kenneth Lewisasked the Prime Minister what reply he has sent to the invitation to address the Annual Conference of the Trades Union Congress this year in his official capacity.
§ The Prime MinisterI have received no such invitation, Sir.
§ Mr. LewisPerhaps the Prime Minister will not receive an invitation this year. Since, in the past, he has himself asked to be invited, may I ask him if, were he to be invited this year, he would be prepared to bring forward to the T.U.C. practical proposals for increasing productivity and for getting rid of the rule book which would give incentives to the unions?
§ The Prime MinisterI have had no invitation, so the latter part of that supplementary question is hypothetical. Nor have I ever asked to be invited to the T.U.C. I was once appointed a fraternal delegate from the Labour Party and, in that capacity, addressed the T.U.C. in September 1964. As to references to rule books and things of that kind, I have already made statements on this subject, not to the T.U.C. but to the particular union in question.