HC Deb 01 May 1975 vol 891 cc719-20
Q2. Mr. Hoyle

asked the Prime Minister whether he has any plans to visit Reading.

Mr. Edward Short

I have been asked to reply.

My right hon. Friend has at present no plans to do so, Sir.

Mr. Hoyle

If my right hon. Friend does visit Reading I hope that he will seize the opportunity to visit the Intervention Board for Agricultural Produce and see it at work. If he does, I hope that he will review his advice to the British people in the light of the disagreeable aspect of the CAP in buying products to put into store or turn into animal feeding stuffs. I hope that my right hon. Friend will review his advice to the British people that their future lies in the Common Market.

Mr. Short

I think that in his report to Parliament on the renegotiations my right hon. Friend was forthcoming about this matter. He said that we had not secured the radical reform of the CAP that we wanted, but we believe that we shall do that, and we have support in Europe for it. But while we have not done that, we have secured a good many of our objectives in that field.

Mr. Ian Lloyd

Instead of the Prime Minister's accepting these innumerable invitations, is it not time for him to extend one to the leaders of the TUC to come to the Bar of the House and explain to the House and the country what their policies are and what they are doing?

Mr. Short

I think that both the TUC and the CBI take every opportunity to do that.