§ Q9. Mr. Hector Hughesasked the Prime Minister if he will invite the new Prime Ministers of Eire and Northern Ireland to confer with him in London to co-ordinate policy for achieving union for the whole of Ireland.
§ The Prime MinisterNo, Sir.
§ Mr. HughesIn view of the fact that these two new Prime Ministers have introduced new ideas and given an opportunity for toleration and unity in the whole of Ireland, will my right hon. Friend not invite them both here, so that the three heads could be put together to the benefit of Ireland?—[Interruption.]
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. It is difficult to hear questions.
§ Mr. HughesOn a point of order. Are you not allowing the Prime Minister to answer my question, Mr. Speaker?
§ Mr. SpeakerI am protecting the hon. and learned Gentleman.
§ The Prime MinisterI heard what my hon. and learned Friend said, Mr. Speaker. He will be aware that I recently had a visit on which I reported to the House, from the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, and we had an extremely satisfactory discussion. I had arranged to have a visit from the Prime Minister of the Republic of Ireland, but because of their election this did not become possible. Naturally, I hope to see the Prime Minister of the Irish Republic as soon as possible, but arrangements for the two of them to meet have been satisfactory in the past, alternately in 697 Dublin or Belfast, and I do not think that I need to add anything to them.
§ Sir Knox CunninghamIs the right hon. Gentleman not aware that the people of Ulster have no intention of being separated from the United Kingdom under the Crown and do not intend to be taken over by the Republic of Ireland?
§ The Prime MinisterI think that the hon. and learned Gentleman has probably heard me and other of my right hon. Friends say often enough in all the difficulties about Northern Ireland, that the question of the Border was not in issue in any of our discussions or any of the statements which we or anyone else have made about it.
§ Sir Knox CunninghamThen say so.
§ Mr. RichardIn view of the terms of the last supplementary question, would my right hon. Friend draw the attention of the hon. and learned Member for Antrim, South (Sir Knox Cunningham), and, indeed, of the Government whom he appears to represent in this House, to the report of Justice, published this morning, which shows that the part of the United Kingdom which he represents is, in the opinion of that undoubtedly objective organisation, deficient in basic human rights?
§ The Prime MinisterI have not seen this document, but certainly the hon. and learned Member for Antrim, South (Sir Knox Cunningham), alone among Ulster Unionist Members of Parliament, refused to sign a Motion on the Order Paper when all his colleagues wanted to see these matters improved.
§ Mr. Stratton MillsIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that the Northern Ireland Prime Minister has said that a number of parts of the Justice report are totally inaccurate? If the right hon. Gentleman cares to examine that report and look at the evidence, he will see that this is so.
§ The Prime MinisterI should be happy to see the document referred to by my hon. Friend and also the statement referred to by the hon. Gentleman. I have reported to the House on my last discussions with the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, and I thought that it was an encouraging report, about what 698 he and his colleagues could say about the steps which they were taking in response to the pressure which we have put on them, with the support of hon. Members in almost all parts of the House.