HC Deb 20 December 1973 vol 866 cc1603-4

Q5. Mr. Carter asked the Prime Minister if he will seek to address the next meeting of the NEDC.

Q8. Mr. Norman Lamont asked the Prime Minister when he next plans to attend a meeting of the National Economic Development Council.

The Prime Minister

Yes, Sir. I shall be taking the chair at the meeting of the National Economic Development Council tomorrow.

Mr. Carter

Before that meeting takes place, will the Prime Minister tell the House with what moral authority he can ask the TUC and the unions to abide by the provisions of stage 3 when on 5th September 1966 he publicly and openly urged the TUC and the trade unions to undermine the then Government's prices and incomes policy?

The Prime Minister

What I urged at that time was that this was a matter which should be discussed at the conference. I have never in any way denied the right of the TUC or the CBI to argue with me or any other member of the Government about these policies. As I have constantly told the House, there have been 18 months of discussion about this. I had further discussion yesterday evening with the six TUC representatives of "Neddy" about these policies, and, of course, I am ready at any time to argue these matters. I am sure that I shall be able to continue the discussion tomorrow at the "Neddy" meeting.

Mr. Tom King

At that meeting will my right hon. Friend be saying how many workers have now accepted agreements under phase 3? Can he give the latest figures to the House today?

The Prime Minister

Just on 3 million have so far settled under phase 3 and have informed the Pay Board.

Mr. Harold Wilson

I am sure that the Prime Minister would be the last person to wish to mislead the House over the answer he gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Northfield (Mr. Carter) concerning his message to the TUC in 1966. Will he take a little time over Christmas to look up the precise text of what he said to the TUC and publicly—and perhaps on a future occasion in the House—correct the misleading impression which he just gave, I am sure inadvertently?

The Prime Minister

I do not believe that it was a misleading impression, but I am prepared to look up the text of the statement I made at the time. It was a party conference which the then Prime Minister was attending and it was obviously a matter on which it could pass resolutions and urge these upon the Government.

Mr. Wilson

The Prime Minister has got even that wrong. It was not a party conference, and I was not due to attend it. It was a TUC congress, and if he will look up the actual text he will see precisely what he said. For purposes of greater accuracy I shall gladly supply him with a copy if he wishes. It is not what he said to the House this afternoon.