HC Deb 16 January 1968 vol 756 cc1621-5
The Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (Mr. Richard Crossman)

Business has been rearranged as follows:

TUESDAY, 16TH JANUARY—Second Reading of the Transport Holding Company Bill.

WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY—Debate on Economic Affairs, on affairs, on a Government Motion.

FRIDAY, 19TH JANUARY—The business, already announced, will be:

Second Reading of the Consular Relations Bill [Lords].

Remaining stages of the Mauritius Independence Bill.

second Reading of the Provisional Collection of Taxes Bill [Lords] and of the Capital Allowances Bill [Lords], which are consolidation Measures.

Motion on the House of Commons Disqualification.

It may be for the convenience of the House if I announce also the business for the next week:

MONDAY, 22ND JANUARY—Supply [6th Allotted Day]:

Winter Supplementaries.

TUESDAY, 23RD JANUARY—Second Reading of the Justices of the Peace Bill and of the British Standard Time Bill [Lords].

WEDNESDAY, 24TH JANUARY AND THURSDAY, 25TH JANUARY—A 2-day debate on Foreign Affairs, the first of which will be on the 7th Supply Day.

FRIDAY, 26TH JANUARY—Private Members' Bills.

MONDAY, 29TH JANUARY—Supply [8th Allotted Day]:

The Question will be put from the Chair on all outstanding Votes.

Mr. Bellenger

My right hon. Friend's statement on business seems to be something of an anti-climax to what we have previously heard from the Prime Minister about matters affecting our whole economy. Have we to wait for the Estimates speeches, or are we to debate today's statement by the Prime Minister, and, if so, how and when? It is obvious from some of the questions asked today that some hon. Members are more concerned with defence cuts and some with health cuts. So far, we have had only assertions. We are not in a position to judge the correct proportions.

Mr. Crossman

I am sorry if I did not make myself clear to the House. Tomorrow and the day after we have devoted two full days to a debate on the statement that we have just heard, which will be on a Government Motion.

Sir S. McAdden

Can the right hon. Gentleman assist us in one matter? we have had a serious statement by the Prime Minister. In view of that, would not the right hon. Gentleman consider changing the business for today so that we can discuss, perhaps on the Adjournment, matters of importance, rather than having to deal with an irrelevant Bill which will merely add to our burdens instead of decreasing them?

Mr. Crossman

I think that, on reflection, the hon. Member will agree that that is not a good idea. We came back a day early in order to give the House time to hear my right hon. Friend's statement today and to reflect on it before having the two-day debate commencing tomorrow. I would think that that is the right way to proceed.

Mr. Orme

Before the Christmas Recess, my right hon. Friend promised a specific one-day debate on Vietnam when foreign affairs came to be discussed. Because of the seriously deteriorating position there, can my right hon. Friend assure the House that one of the debates next week will be on that specific subject?

Mr. Crossman

It was my intention to keep to the division that we had before, but I want to discuss through the usual channels and with all parts of the House whether that is the desire of the House. If it is, we will keep to that arrangement—but in view of the new situation, I wanted to keep the matter open for a change of plan, if that were desirable.

Mr. Bruce-Gardyne

The right hon. Gentleman made no reference to the Industrial Expansion Bill. Are there any changes in the plans for the introduction of that Bill?

Mr. Crossman

If there are no changes, I believe that the Bill is being published today.

Mr. Roebuck

Is my right hon. Friend really satisfied that two days is a sufficient length of time to discuss this important matter? Is he aware that by the time right hon. Gentlemen on both Front Benches and the long-winded Privy Councillors from the back benches have spoken, there will be no time for modest back benchers to add their contributions to this debate? Will he reconsider the situation?

Mr. Crossman

I am always prepared to consider anything that my hon. Friend says, but I would have thought that two days was a good beginning. I have a shrewd suspicion that this topic will be discussed in other debates in the future.

Mr. Hogg

The right hon. Gentleman will recall that the Second Reading of the Gaming Bill has been postponed again and again, and he will no doubt have noticed that a recent judicial decision of the House of Lords has rendered it more and more urgent to get on with it. Can he give us any news on the matter?

Mr. Crossman

I hope to give the news in my next Business statement.

Mr. Dempsey

Will my right hon. Friend try to find time for an early debate on the serious havoc wrought in Scotland on Sunday night, in view of the fact that not only damage was done but financial liability was incurred, and in some places no medical services were available to assist the public? Can he find time fully to debate this matter?

Mr. Crossman

I think that I can tell my hon. Friend that as soon as questions on business are over my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland hopes to make a statement on this situation.

Mr. Ridsdale

May I press the Leader of the House to see if he can find more time to debate both the economic and foreign affairs questions? Could not we have an extra hour at least? I am sure that many hon. Members will want to speak on these questions.

Mr. Crossman

I think that we should measure our enthusiasm. We shall have two days on the Prime Minister's statement, followed by two days on foreign affairs, in the course of which I have no doubt that certain themes in the Prime Minister's statement will be discussed again. I would have thought that four days of our time was sufficient, but I will see what the position is when we have finished those debates.

Mrs. Anne Kerr

May I press my right hon. Friend to give one full day's debate on Vietnam, which is a worrying matter to our people here and also to our friends in America?

Mr. Crossman

I think that I referred not to Vietnam but to the Far East. I think that there will be an interest in the debate not exclusively on Vietnam. I would have thought that if it were to the convenience of the House we would keep to the division of the time allotted before the Christmas Recess.

Mr. Gresham Cooke

In view of the new situation and the great need for economy, will the right hon. Gentleman now drop the Transport Bill and so save £1,200 million?

Mr. Crossman

I think that the hon. Gentleman will not be surprised to hear that my answer is in the negative.

Mr. Maclennan

In view of the Prime Minister's statement about the restriction on Atomic Energy Authority expenditure, will my right hon. Friend give urgent consideration to the frequently-made request for a debate on the recommendations of the Select Committee on Technology on the nuclear reactor programme, in view of the export-earning potential?

Mr. Crossman

I have considered this and discussed it with my right hon. Friend the Minister of Power. I can now tell my hon. Friend that the Minister's considered reply to that very formidable document from the Select Committee will not be ready for a few weeks, but directly it is, and is published, we shall have a very important debate on the two of them.

Dr. Bennett

Is it not really somewhat absurd to discuss the Transport Bill today, in the regretted absence of the Minister, whose product it is? I should have thought that we might at least be able to afford to await her return and let her make her own statement of the case for the Government, instead of having the debate in her absence, at a time of great national crisis.

Mr. Crossman

I will pass on to my right hon. Friend the sympathy of the hon. Members. I assure him that I have asked my right hon. Friend, and she would prefer to have the Bill debated today.

Mr. Leadbifter

In view of the fact that prescription charges are bound to be a matter of controversy this week, unfortunately, will the Leader of the House bear in mind that the debate tomorrow and the next day will be across the board on the economic conditions of the country'? Does not he think it wise, in view of the importance of this subject, that it should be discussed as a health programme debate on a fresh day?

Mr. Crossman

I have no doubt that it will be because, in order to introduce this change, I believe that there has to be an affirmative Order and I assume that there will be a full day's debate on that.

Sir Harmar Nicholls

As the effectiveness of three-quarters of the items in the package statement that we have heard depends on wage restraint, can the right hon. Gentleman tell the House whether the Minister of Labour is likely to take part in the two-day debate, so that we can have the benefit of hearing about the consultations that have gone on in 10, Downing Street and other places, leading up to the statement? If the right hon. Gentleman is not going to take part in the two-day debate, may we have a debate in which we can have his considered view from the Dispatch Box?

Mr. Crossman

Two Ministers are concerned—the Minister of Labour and the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs —but I do not expect that either will take part in the two-day debate. I have no doubt that there will be many speakers in the debate who will give full attention to what, I agree, is an extremely important part of the policies.