§ 3. Mr. Gouldasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make a further statement on his plans for reducing the rate of inflation.
§ 10. Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a further statement on his plans to reduce the level of inflation.
§ 13. Mr. George Gardinerasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer by what means he proposes to halve the rate of inflation in the coming year.
§ 18. Mr. Jesselasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will announce measures before the end of July to reduce inflation.
§ 19. Mr. Wrigglesworthasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what further steps he intends to take to control inflation.
§ 20. Mr. Rostasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to announce measures to deal with inflation.
§ 24. Mr. Moateasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress he has made in preparing new measures to deal with inflation; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Joel BarnettI must ask hon. Members to await publication of the White Paper.
§ Mr. SpeakerIn view of the fact that there is to be a statement tomorrow, I hope that I shall be allowed to go on to the next Question.
§ Later—
§ Sir G. HoweOn a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate, of course, the difficulties facing the Chancellor—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. I am sorry to interrupt the right hon. and learned Gentleman but may I ask whether this is a point of order arising out of Questions?
§ Sir G. HoweIt is, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the difficulties facing the Chancellor. We know that a statement is promised for tomorrow. I wonder whether you would agree to reconsider your suggestion that Government Ministers should not be exposed to questioning on any of the many Questions on the Order Paper about their plans for combating inflation.
§ Mr. GouldFurther to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. Is it not a harsh doctrine that the rights of back benchers should be curtailed in this way because of the imminence of a White Paper? Many of us feel that it is still not too late to try to influence right hon. and hon. Gentlemen concerning the contents of the White Paper. That is precisely the reason why we placed such Questions on the Order Paper.
§ Mr. SpeakerThe Chair has some rights. The Select Committee which deal with Questions entrusted the Chair with this discretion. I am told that there is to be a statement tomorrow. There should be ample time for hon. Members to put 720 questions then. There are 45 Questions tabled to the Chancellor today. I must be allowed to decide whether the House goes on.
§ Mr. HefferFurther to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. I accept your point that the Chair has rights, as I am sure does every other hon. Member, but back benchers have rights as well. The Chair's duty is surely to ensure that the rights of back benchers are upheld. If my hon. Friends feel that, even at this late stage, they can influence the White Paper, surely they have the right to seek to do so.
§ Mr. SpeakerIf they think or believe that, it must be a triumph of optimism over experience.
§ Sir G. HoweFurther to that point of order, Mr. Speaker. If the Chancellor is still closeted with his colleagues and is discussing this matter, surely it is not too late or insensible for hon. Members to request you to reconsider your decision, which deprives back benchers of the chance to influence what may be contained in the White Paper.
§ Mr. SpeakerIn my view there are plenty of other Questions on which hon. Members can put forward their views. I must be entitled to exercise my discretion, which was specifically preserved by the Select Committee which considered this matter.
§ Later—
§ Mr. GardinerOn a point of order, Mr. Speaker. It arises from your ruling earlier this afternoon, which was quite different from the point of order put to you by my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Surrey, East (Sir G. Howe). The situation, as the House will recall, was that a number of back benchers on both sides, who a fortnight ago correctly anticipated the situation in which the Government would find themselves and therefore put down Questions on measures to curtail inflation, were blocked from putting Questions to Treasury Ministers in anticipation of the statement which is promised for tomorrow. In protecting the rights of back benchers, would not it be equitable if those back benchers who had their Questions to Treasury Ministers blocked in anticipation of a statement tomorrow were well placed to catch your eye, Mr. Speaker, in putting 721 supplementary questions when the statement is made?
§ Mr. SpeakerI think that is a very relevant and pertinent point of order and I shall watch carefully to see how many of them are here tomorrow.
§ Mr. Maxwell-HyslopOn a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Since the Treasury Bench promised the statement that is to be made tomorrow within a week of Monday last week, surely the Table Office should have allowed the Question which it blocked for today on the ground that the statement was promised for two days earlier.
§ Mr. SpeakerThat is a recondite point into which I shall not go now.
§ 30. Mr. Laneasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will make a further statement on his latest plans for combating inflation.
§ 39. Mr. Goldingasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he now intends to take to combat inflation.
§ Mr. Joel BarnettI would refer the hon. Members to the reply which was given earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Southampton, Test (Mr. Gould)—but it was not given because he was not here.
§ Mr. SpeakerI am afraid that I must stand by my previous decision.
§ 35. Mr. Skinnerasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the current rate of inflation; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Joel BarnettThe index of retail prices for all items for 13th May 1975 showed an increase of 25 per cent. on May 1974.
§ Mr. SkinnerI wonder whether my right hon. and very intelligent and sharp Friend would pay some attention to the recent statement he made about conquering inflation and thereby reducing unemployment. Would he not agree that there have been many examples, including some recent ones in West Germany, which indicate that a reduced rate of inflation has of itself increased unemployment—the exact opposite of what my right hon. Friend has said previously and many times this afternoon? Will he also express 722 some sympathy with those of us here who, along with him, fought tooth and nail when we were in opposition against all forms of incomes policy, who marched through the Lobby with him and who now refuse to stand on our heads and do the opposite because we are in power?
§ Mr. BarnettI have great sympathy with my intelligent and sympathetic Friend. I am sure he will recognise that there is no way in which we can solve our problems unless we reduce the rate of inflation. That is what we are doing and that is what will be made clear in the White Paper tomorrow.
§ Mr. Kenneth LewisHas the right hon. Gentleman noticed that the Post Office is promising swingeing increases in prices to the general public in a few weeks' time? Has he checked to find out whether it will do this without cutting back on its expenses, its staffing and so on before passing this on to the public, to increase inflation even more?
§ Mr. BarnettI cannot understand the hon. Gentleman. I am sure that he, like many of his hon. Friends, is opposed to the idea of subsidies in these industries. That is what is being done. At the same time we are making certain that all our attention is given to cutting costs wherever possible.
§ Mr. PardoeWill the right hon. Gentleman state the rate of inflation by the Chancellor's own patent mathematics on the basis of which he arrived at an 8½ per cent. rate nine months ago, at the time of the last General Election? Will he give us the figures for the past three months at an annual rate? Will he also say whether in tomorrow's White Paper there will he a public apology to those of us who said that the rate of inflation nine months ago was 20 per cent?
§ Mr. BarnettI am sorry that the hon. Gentleman is so sensitive that he needs apologies all the time. I am sure he will be able to restrain his impatience until he reads the White Paper tomorrow.