HC Deb 27 March 1973 vol 853 cc1088-90
Ql. Mr. Skinner

asked the Prime Minister if the public speech made by the Lord Chancellor on 10th March at Margate on parliamentary authority represents Government policy.

Q3. Mr. Adley

asked the Prime Minister if the public speech by the Lord Chancellor at Margate on 10th March on parliamentary democracy represents Government policy.

Q5. Mr. Peter Archer

asked the Prime Minister whether the public speech of the Lord Chancellor on individual freedom at Margate on 10th March represents the policy of Her Majesty's Government.

Q12. Mr. Norman Lamont

asked the Prime Minister whether the public speech of the Lord Chancellor on liberty under the law on 10th March at Margate represents the policy of Her Majesty's Government.

The Prime Minister (Mr. Edward Heath)

Yes, Sir. The concept of liberty under law, which was the theme of my noble and learned Friend's speech, is an essential element in the Government's policies.

Mr. Skinner

But is the Prime Minister aware that in his speech about parliamentary democracy the Lord Chancellor implied that property speculators were partly responsible for undermining the system? What does the right hon. Gentleman himself think about property speculators, especially today, when he is being used in The Times to advertise the multi-million-pound Heathrow Hotel, next to Mick Jagger? Why is he concerned about this matter? Is it because he is being used to help property speculation or because he is put next to Mick Jagger?

The Prime Minister

First, the hon. Gentleman has completely misread my noble and learned Friend's speech—

Mr. Skinner

No, I have read it all.

The Prime Minister

I did not say that the hon. Gentleman had not read it. I said that he had misread it, and that is now apparent. As for the advertisement in The Times, I am not annoyed; I am just slightly surprised that apparently a reputable paper should have put in an advertisement of that kind.

Mr. Adley

In his speech the Lord Chancellor quoted Disraeli's remark that, if we wished parliamentary democracy to continue, we had to have party government. While many people are happy to see my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister as a latter-day Disraeli, will he agree that, if we are to encourage moderate trade unionists to stand up for what they believe to be right, they must get a lead from the Government, and that they are now getting that lead?

The Prime Minister

I would not wish to enter into an argument about historical analogies. On my hon. Friend's other point about moderate trade unionists, this is a matter for them. The Government, in their tripartite talks, showed that they were prepared to discuss anything at any time with them, and this remains our attitude. But the decisions of trade unions and trade unionists must continue to be for them to take.

Mr. Archer

Since the Lord Chancellor made the point that effective action by Governments is sometimes necessary to protect freedom, will the Government now ratify and implement the international convention on human rights? Since he also emphasised the need for a Government lead in creating a climate of opinion, what public events have the Government in mind this year to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?

The Prime Minister

The hon. and learned Member knows the position about the ratification of the human rights convention, but the present Government have certainly done as much as their predecessors to maintain human rights. In those spheres where we have been under challenge—for example, in Northern Ireland—the Government have clearly shown their determination to ensure that human rights are protected.