§ Q4. Mr. Molloyasked the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of his public speech on economic matters at Nottingham University on 27th March.
§ Q8. Mr. Meacherasked the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of his public speech to the Federation of Conservative Students' Conference in Nottingham on 27th March on the environment and growth.
§ Q13. Mr. Adleyasked the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of his public speech made at Nottingham University on 27th March about economic growth.
§ The Prime MinisterI did so on 29th March, Sir.
§ Mr. MolloyDoes the Prime Minister recall that during that speech he spoke of "sound and steady growth" when in reality there has been real and crippling growth in food prices, rents, mortgages 1503 and rates? Does he recall that he also said:
Britain is littered with factories and plant"—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. The hon. Gentleman is not allowed to make a quotation in a supplementary question.
§ Mr. MolloyThe right hon. Gentleman was speaking of the appalling conditions of 19th century factories in which British workers had to work. Does not the right hon. Gentleman agree that much of what has been done in the past 50 years to improve conditions of work for ordinary people in factories and plants has been due to the British trade union movement?
§ The Prime MinisterMost of it has been done by Government legislation, obviously in conjunction with the TUC. I am the first to acknowledge that. Some of it was prepared when I was at the Ministry of Labour, and it was done in the closest collaboration with the TUC.
§ Mr. AdleyThe hon. Member for Ealing, North (Mr. Molloy) referred to that part of my right hon. Friend's speech which concerned industrial relations. Both my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer have spoken about what is properly referred to as "worker participation". Does my right hon. Friend agree that a great deal could be done towards increasing industrial democracy if the trade unions themselves were willing to open up their councils and meetings to company managers and executives, so that this might be a two-way effort?
§ The Prime MinisterI hope that there will be developments in the direction of greater participation by union representatives in all these discussions. If the discussions are carried on together, it becomes a two-way matter, and that is probably the best way of doing it.
§ Mr. ConcannonWhen the Prime Minister visited Nottingham why were so many false trails laid and why was the right hon. Gentleman so shy about meeting the people of Nottingham?
§ The Prime MinisterI do not quite understand the first part of the hon. Gentleman's question. I was here in the House until quite late that evening. I 1504 went straight to Nottingham and made my speech, which was a party occasion.