POPULATION (Hansard, 7 November 1974)

§ Q3. Mrs. Renée Short
asked the Prime Minister if he will now appoint a Minister for population matters.

§ The Prime Minister
My right hon. and noble Friend the Lord Privy Seal has discharged this responsibility since last March and he is now assisted by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Privy Council Office. I see no reason to change this arrangement.

§ Mrs. Short
Does my right hon. Friend not accept that there are many facets of this urgent problem that are not now 1237 being dealt with by the right hon. and hon. Gentlemen he has mentioned? Is he aware that there is an urgent need to train doctors and nurses to carry out these procedures? Is he further aware that there is an urgent need to educate both adults and young people into a responsible attitude to the creation of new life? Is he also aware that the work of the Family Planning Association, built up over many years, is now disappearing because of the reorganisation of the Health Service carried out by the previous Conservative Government, which makes it impossible for area health authorities to pay the FPA to act as agents on their behalf, and when they send patients to the general practitioners they are refused advice on family planning matters. Will—

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. The hon. Lady has had four so far.

§ The Prime Minister
In reply to the question about the responsibility of the health service, it is a fact that in this, and in other matters the changes made by the previous Government have caused a considerable degree of chaos, which is taking time to clear up. There is no doubt about that.
On the main question of the four, my hon. Friend will be aware that, of course, the reason why we need the Lord Privy Seal is that the work in this area falls upon a number of Ministers in a number of Departments. That is why successive Governments have decided not to try to have one separate Minister with responsibility.
This morning my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services, as my hon. Friend will know, made a very important speech on this subject dealing with some of the issues which she has raised, including an announcement on improved assistance in some of these matters. I have no doubt that my hon. Friend will be studying my right hon. Friend's speech. If she has not got a copy of it I am sure that my right hon. Friend will gladly send her one and place a copy in the Library.

§ Sir D. Renton
Is the Prime Minister aware that the good work done by the Lord Privy Seal within the limited range of his responsibilities has been appreciated, but is he further aware that we 1238 appear to have in the country more people than we shall be able to feed? Will he therefore ensure that we have in the House a Minister with overall responsibility for dealing with questions of family planning, immigration and emigration?

§ The Prime Minister
Everyone knows that the right hon. and learned Member has, over the years, pioneered a lot of the thinking on this matter and has been responsible for changes made by successive Governments.
I do not think it would be right to have a single Minister responsible for all these matters. Immigration is clearly a Home Office matter, so I do not think it would be possible to do this. In fact, the consideration that leads us to keep these matters in separate Departments is probably the main reason for my having to answer questions on it today.
I should like to thank the right hon. and learned Gentleman for the tribute he paid to the Lord Privy Seal. I am sure that, within it, he intended to pay a tribute to the very good work done by my noble Friend in the world conference held during the summer.

§ Sir D. Renton
Yes.

§ Dr. Phipps
Is my right hon. Friend aware that, had the right hon. Member for Leeds, North-East (Sir K. Joseph) had his way many years ago, the great majority of Members on the Government benches would not be here today? Does he wonder whether that is the purpose of his policy?

§ The Prime Minister
I think that the right hon. Member for Leeds, North-East (Sir K. Joseph) was very fully answered by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services a few days ago in Liverpool. I certainly do not intend to comment on any of the speeches of that kind from the right hon. Gentleman or any of his right hon. Friends. As the House knows, in my capacity as joint president of the "National Amalgamated Trade Union of Party Leaders"—all of whom may God preserve, Mr. Speaker—I am very anxious not to intervene in any of these matters.

§ Mr. Prior
Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that, important though population matters are, it is even more important that we should be able to sustain the population that we have, or are likely to have, 1239 and unless we have a radical change in our agriculture and fishing policies over the next few weeks we shall not be in a position to support our population?

§ The Prime Minister
I fully agree with the right hon. Gentleman in expressing concern on these matters, which I think inspired a great number of the questions before I came in a few minutes ago. The right hon. Gentleman speaks very differently now from the way in which he spoke in those famous broadcasts, "Weekend with Prior", at one o'clock every Sunday. He will know how much of the chaos we inherited, both here and in the shambles in the CAP, are due to right hon. Members opposite.