SELF-EMPLOYED PERSONS (Hansard, 24 July 1975)

§ Q1. Mr. Thorpe
asked the Prime Minister whether he will designate a senior Minister within the Department of Employment to take special responsibility for the self-employed.

§ The Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (Mr. Edward Short)
As the House knows, my right hon. Friend is visiting the Federal Republic of Germany today for informal talks with the Federal Chancellor, and in his absence I have been asked to reply.
No, Sir. The valuable contribution of the self-employed to the community derives from the diversity of their activities and interests. Matters arising from these activities do not form a coherent whole and are better handled on the basis of the existing pattern of ministerial responsibilities.

§ Mr. Thorpe
Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that to many people that will be a disappointing answer? As there are 2 million self-employed, who employ in turn 6 million wage earners who represent one-fourth of our work force and who produce one-fifth of our wealth, and as they are going out of business at the rate of 4,000 a year, would it not be a satisfactory thing if there were a Minister to whom they could make known their problems urgently?

§ Mr. Short
No, Sir. The problem is that the self-employed are not a homogeneous group. They range, for example, from the small business man and shopkeeper to the professional person. The only common points are the way in which they are taxed and the way in which their national insurance contributions are computed, and here I think that a very fair balance is struck. The great difficulty, therefore, is in regarding them as one coherent, homogeneous group.

§ Mr. Skinner
Will my right hon. Friend tell the Prime Minister, when he gets back from one of his many visits during the course of the last few months, that quite apart from the problems of the self-employed many of us are deeply concerned about the unemployment figures that have been declared today? Will he also tell the Prime Minister that we are not prepared to tolerate the continuation of a policy which is resulting in totals of this kind with a Labour Government, and that some alternative steps should be taken along the lines indicated in the many discussions that have taken place between ourselves and the Government, especially in respect of the prevention of the importation of unemployment arising out of the lack of will on the part of the Government to impose import controls?

§ Mr. Short
On the first part of his question, I am sure that my hon. Friend and the whole House will welcome the leadership which the Prime Minister is demonstrating in Europe at present. As regards my hon. Friend's second point, the Government share, as I am sure do all hon. Members, my hon. Friend's concern about the figures announced today. The Secretary of State for Employment will be making an announcement about this matter at the end of Question Time.

§ Mr. Jasper More
Considering the enormous contribution which the self-employed make to both the stability and the prosperity of the country, do they not deserve something better than the consistently raw deal that they have been dealt by the present Government?

§ Mr. Short
No, Sir. That suggestion is utterly untrue. The present Government have done a great deal to help the self-employed. The Question was about a special Minister for the self-employed. I pointed out that the problem is that they are dealt with by a great many Departments, because they are not a coherent group.

§ Mr. David James
On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. May we ask the Leader of the House to speak up? We cannot hear him.