§ Q3. Mr. Sillarsasked the Prime Minister if he will detail the official visits he has now made to Scotland since taking office.
§ The Prime MinisterAs the answer is somewhat detailed, I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Mr. SillarsIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that in all the official visits he has paid to Scotland there has been no mention by him of a value-added tax? [Laughter.] That is quite true, even though hon. Gentlemen opposite find it amusing. Would he clear up the ambiguous statement made on Tuesday in this House and confirm what was said in the Conservative Party manifesto to the effect that a value-added tax would not be introduced by the Tories applying to food or to very small businesses and that special arrangements would be made for housing?
§ The Prime MinisterAs I have visited Scotland on three occasions on official invitations for sporting events, and on a fourth for an audience at Balmoral, I do not think that a declaration of policy about V.A.T. would have been appropriate on those occasions.
§ The following is the information:
Prime Minister's visits to Scotland10th July, 1970—St. Andrews—To visit the Open Golf Championships.24th-26th July, 1970—Edinburgh—To attend the closing ceremony of the IX Commonwealth Games and to open the III Commonwealth Paraplegic Games.19th-20th September, 1970—Balmoral—For an Audience of The Queen.
§ Q4. Mr. Barnettasked the Prime Minister if he will seek to pay an official visit to West Germany.
§ The Prime MinisterI have at present no firm plans to do so, but I naturally look forward to a meeting with Herr Brandt before long.
§ Mr. BarnettAs the Prime Minister has decided to leave the question of inflation to the British people without any assistance from him, might it not be better for him to visit a place where he 611 could meet people who have directly experienced the inflation of the Weimar Republic? If he is not prepared to do that, will he perhaps make it clear to the House with which of his Cabinet Ministers he agrees—Lord Jellicoe, who described as a nonsense what his right hon. and learned Friend Lord Hailsham said about inflation, or Lord Hailsham?
§ The Prime MinisterIt is quite unworthy of the hon. Member to associate the present Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany with the inflation at the time of the Weimar Republic.
§ Mr. Harold WilsonSince the right hon. Gentleman does not like answering my hon. Friend—I have noticed that—and since my hon. Friend associated his question with the Lord Chancellor, for whose appointment the right hon. Gentleman is responsible, and since what was said was said officially, Ministerially, in another place, will the right hon. Gentleman say whether he agrees with the statement of the Lord Chancellor?
§ The Prime MinisterMy right hon. and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor said quite specifically in another place that there was no crisis, and I agree with that absolutely.
§ Q6. Mr. Sillarsasked the Prime Minister if he will make an official visit to Edinburgh.
§ The Prime MinisterI look forward to doing so on 27th March, Sir.
§ Mr. SillarsWill the Prime Minister reconsider his decision, and go much earlier? Is he aware that most people in Scotland, in view of rising unemployment, regard the action of his right hon. Friend the Secretary of State in allocating £1.75 million for winter relief of unemployment as utterly derisory and no good whatever? Will he not reconsider going earlier, and making St. Andrew's House move a lot faster and a lot better?
§ The Prime MinisterUnemployment in Scotland was already at a high level when the last Government went out of office—93,000 at the end of their period of office. What we have done has been to introduce the measures described by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 27th October, and discussed in Scotland by the Secretary of State.
Earl of DalkeithIs my right hon. Friend aware that when he comes to Edinburgh he will receive, as always, a very warm welcome, but that it would be warmer still if he could take steps to end the ridiculous anomaly whereby Edinburgh is the one small pocket between the North Pole and York which is excluded from development area status? And will he make sure that he also gets rid of B.S.T.?
§ The Prime MinisterThe anomaly described by my hon. Friend was the result of the Labour Party's policies, and it is this anomaly which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is now reviewing.
§ Mr. RossIs the Prime Minister aware that unemployment is only one of the matters in respect of which there is growing unemployment in Scotland? In view of the criticism this week of the Government's housing policy, not only in relation to its relevance but also in relation to the knowledge and competence of the Junior Minister in charge, will the Prime Minister come to Scotland early and, if he cannot make a speech on these subjects and let us know something about the policies, will he discuss the matter with the editor of the Scotsman?
§ The Prime MinisterThe policies on housing have been very clearly set out, and I understood it was those to which the right hon. Gentleman was taking exception. He dislikes the policy. Very well. The fact is that the purpose of the housing policy is to ensure that the money available goes to those most in need in Scotland, and this is the right policy.
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. Right hon. and hon. Members on both sides have a right to be heard without noise.
§ Mr. RossIs the Prime Minister aware that we have not had a clear statement in the House about these policies? We have not had the opportunity of learning from the Secretary of State or anyone else how many houses will be built. Everyone knows that the hiatus that has been caused by this will lead to a reduction in the number of houses built in Scotland.
§ The Prime MinisterI do not accept the point the right hon. Gentleman made at the end of his supplementary question. If he wants to have a statement, he can table Questions or he can persuade his right hon. Friends to use a Supply Day for a debate on Scottish affairs.