HC Deb 01 March 1972 vol 832 cc407-8
36. Sir Gilbert Longden

asked the Lord President of the Council what action is contemplated by Her Majesty's Government in view of the population predictions of the Government Actuary and the Registrar-General relating to the United Kingdom.

Mr. Whitelaw

Departments in their long-term planning already take account of changes in the population projections. In addition to this, the Population Panel is now studying the implications of population growth.

Sir Gilbert Longden

Is my right hon. Friend fully seized of the fact that the United Kingdom is now the third most densely populated area in the world? England is the most densely populated. Does he know that the excess of births over deaths even now is 300,000 a year? Is it wise for the State to encourage people to have large families? Does my right hon. Friend recall that Gulliver told us that the Lilliputians thought nothing could be more unjust than for people to bring children into the world and leave the burden of supporting them on the public? Can he not encourage Britons to think the same?

Mr. Whitelaw

These are highly difficult and, in some cases, controversial matters. The Population Panel was set up and, I thought, was accepted by the House as a good response to the report of the Select Committee on Science and Technology. It is now considering all these matters and I would like to await its views before doing anything further.

Mr. Simon Mahon

Some of us would take the strongest possible exception to what has been said by the hon. Member for Hertfordshire, South-West (Sir Gilbert Longden). I was a member of a large family and we did all we possibly could for our people and our country, and our record is as good as the hon. Member's or that of anyone else in the House.

Mr. Whitelaw

I would not seek to deny, in the light of my knowledge dating back over many years, what the hon. Member says about himself. As for myself I have to plead either well or badly according to which argument applies on the size of my own family. These are very important and difficult problems. It is right that the Population Panel should study them and I would not like to prejudge what it will say.