HC Deb 06 July 1972 vol 840 cc722-3
1. Mr. Loveridge

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he is yet able to say what questions it is proposed shall be put to the people of Northern Ireland in the intended plebiscite.

6. Mr. Michael McNair-Wilson

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will outline the opinion-sounding procedure which is to be used in Northern Ireland for deciding whether or not a plebiscite should be held on the question of the border.

46. Mr. Biggs-Davison

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will make a further statement about the holding of a referendum on the border.

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Mr. William Whitelaw)

I cannot at this stage add to the statement I made on 29th June. The details of the plebiscite are still being considered.

Mr. Loveridge

Does my right hon. Friend recall that he said last week that the plebiscite and all its details would be considered in debate by this House? Will that also include an opportunity for the House to discuss the precise questions to be put before they are finally decided upon?

Mr. Whitelaw

Yes, inevitably. I should make it clear, as I said last week, that the purpose of the plebiscite is to give an added reassurance to the Protestant community. There are many difficulties. I wish that the assurances which have been given were sufficient, but I believe that added reassurance is necessary and I am seeking to find the best way of providing it.

Mr. McNair-Wilson

May I remind my right hon. Friend that on 15th June he said that the question of a plebiscite might be something to be considered by a conference of the people of Northern Ireland? It appears that he has changed his mind and has made a decision. Does my right hon. Friend propose to make the plebiscite do something more than just discuss the border? Does he intend to use the plebiscite as a means of discovering whether the people of Northern Ireland have their own ideas of the type of government there should be for the Province?

Mr. Whitelaw

The original commitment in the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister was to a plebiscite on the border. That is abundantly clear. It was only to that that I referred. I am opening discussions next week on the far wider questions to which my hon. Friend refers.

Mr. Merlyn Rees

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that we need to make the majority realise, as we have tried to do, that we in the House are under no illusion that the majority of the people in the North do not want unification with the South at this stage, and that we are absolutely clear on that? Is there not a danger, therefore, that a plebiscite might well polarise the situation at a time when all of us are trying to work to do the opposite?

Mr. Whitelaw

That is one of the dangers. If only every hon. Member of the House would come out absolutely firmly and completely with the sort of assurance that the hon. Gentleman and I have given, none of these fears would be there, but I am afraid they do not.

Mr. Foley

Will the Secretary of State give an assurance to the House that he will consult the political parties in Northern Ireland regarding the terms of the questions to be devised and the timing of the plebiscite?

Mr. Whitelaw

I am hoping to open discussions with the parties next week, and this is one of the matters which I shall discuss with them.

Rev. Ian Paisley

Will the Secretary of State tell the House whether he proposes to put several questions in the plebiscite or one question? If it is to be one question on the border issue, will he assure the House that it will be put in a positive rather than a negative way?

Mr. Whitelaw

These are matters which I must discuss with the parties.