MINISTER OF LABOUR (SPEECH) (Hansard, 23 May 1968)

§ Q3. Mr. Derek Page
asked the Prime Minister if the public speech of the Minister of Labour on incomes policy at the Amalgamated Engineering Union national committee meeting on 25th April represents Government policy.

§ Q4. Mr. Wyatt
asked the Prime Minister whether the speech of the Minister of Labour on incomes policy at Eastbourne on Thursday, 25th April represents Government policy.

§ The Prime Minister
Yes, Sir.

§ Mr. Page
Does not my right hon. Friend agree that that speech might have been a good occasion to make it clear that productivity and social justice might have been aided by allowing more free entry to the engineering industry by Government-trained persons and easier acceptance of them by the industry?

§ The Prime Minister
This is a point that both my right hon. Friend and I have made repeatedly to the trade unions concerned, particularly to the A.E.F. and to the T.U.C. I made it to the Labour Party conference last year, and the T.U.C. has now agreed in discussions to examine cases where anyone who has received training is not admitted into appropriate work.

§ Mr. Wyatt
Is my right hon. Friend aware that the Minister said that it was not intended that there should be any reduction in the standard of living, whereas the Chancellor has said that it is necessary that we should have a 1 per cent. drop in the standard of living? Is he aware that it is particularly important that the Government should not be seen to be speaking with two voices on this matter, and that in these matters in particular the Chancellor's voice should prevail over that of the Minister?

§ The Prime Minister
The Government have not been speaking with two voices, but I can always rely on my hon. Friend to speak with a third, whatever the subject may be. If he was listening to the speech of my right hon. Friend in the debate on prices and incomes, he would have heard her deal with precisely that question. Given an even minimal increase in productivity, which was the main theme of her speech to the A.E.F., a very substantial increase in living standards is possible this year, but it is dependent on productivity, as she said.