§ Q9. Mr. Carterasked the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of his public speech made at Weston-super-Mare on 4th March, 1972, on the subject of the economy.
§ Q11. Mr. Dalyellasked the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of his public speech to the Conservative Local Government Conference on Saturday, 4th March, on the subject of the economy.
§ Q12. Mr. Sheldonasked the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of his public speech on 4th March at Weston-super-Mare on economic matters.
§ The Prime MinisterI did so on 7th March, Sir.
§ Mr. CarterIn that speech the right hon. Gentleman referred to the Government's desire to reduce unemployment to an acceptable level. Could he now tell the House what he and his Government believe an acceptable level to be? If, as a result of the measures to be announced later today, unemployment stands at 750,000 in the autumn, would he regard that as above or below an acceptable level?
§ The Prime MinisterI am not prepared to make forecasts on this matter.
§ Mr. DalyellWhen the right hon. Gentleman talked of an acceptable level, did he have any figure at all in mind?
§ The Prime MinisterI repeat what I have just said: I will not make public forecasts.
§ Mr. SheldonIn his speech the Prime Minister made no attempt to explain the Government's incomprehensible policy on subsidies. Will he now reply to a question which he has previously failed to answer and say why it is right to spend £25 million subsidising sugar and wrong to spend £9 million on school milk?
§ The Prime MinisterMy right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture has dealt with the question of the stabilisation of food prices—because this is a matter which affects the whole of the population and enables us to pursue the policy of preventing the cost of living from rising faster. I should have thought that this was a policy which had the support of right hon. and hon Gentlemen opposite. It is certainly one with which we intend to go on.
§ Mr. Tom BoardmanIn his speech my right hon. Friend referred to regional problems. Can he say whether the massive battery of regional expedients deployed by the Leader of the Opposition, including his speeches, when he was in office, made any material change in the regional imbalance?
§ The Prime MinisterI am afraid that hon. Gentlemen opposite are wrong. If my hon Friend refers to the case of Scotland, for example, he will find that unemployment there has been on an upward-rising curve ever since 1964. I should have thought that both sides of the House could have recognised that the problems of the regions are very deep-seated indeed and that, over the past 25 years, neither party when in Government has yet succeeded in dealing with these fundamental problems of balance between the regions. Therefore, we are now determined to approach this with a fresh look.