Population (Hansard, 1 February 1972)

§ 9. Sir G. Longden
asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government on the forecasting of the population of the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

§ Sir K. Joseph
The Government rely upon the profesional advice and services of the Government Actuary and the Registrars General in preparing population projections. These are prepared and published annually on the basis of what seems the best single set of assumptions to make about demographic trends.

§ Sir G. Longden
I thank my right hon. Friend for that answer. Is he aware that it is no reflection on him that I put down this Question several weeks ago to the Prime Minister, who passed it to the Lord President of the Council, who passed it to my right hon. Friend? Does not the prospect of over-population of these islands in the very near future pose a great threat, not only to our environment but also to our very existence? Does not this threat demand the urgent attention of the head of the Government and of the whole Cabinet?

§ Sir K. Joseph
My hon. Friend is immensely experienced in the ways of the House, but the way that he framed his Question puts it firmly in my field, as I am responsible for the procedure and calculations that lie behind population predictions. The implications of those are either for my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister or for my right hon. Friend the Lord President.

§ Mr. Molloy
To avoid an excessive burden on his Department, would the right hon. Gentleman be prepared to consider persuading his right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment to drop his ridiculous Housing Finance Bill so that the housing position can be tackled in readiness for the increased population?

§ Sir K. Joseph
If I were to contact my right hon. Friend, it would be to encourage him in his policies.

§ Mrs. Renée Short
Would the right hon. Gentleman accept that many hon. Members on both sides of the House are very anxious to see a sensible population policy adopted and that we should support him if he were to set up an investigation in his Department about this matter? If he would make representations to his right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to see that this responsibility was given either to himself or to some other of his right hon. Friends, as a start, and if he were to indicate to the House that he would be prepared to make provision for family planning to be freely available on the National Health Service, would not make that a very valuable start in this direction?

§ Sir K. Joseph
That is another question, but I am sure that my right hon. Friends will note the views of hon. Members.