§ Q3. Mr. Canavanasked the Prime Minister whether he will pay an official visit to Stirlingshire.
§ The Prime MinisterI have at present no plans to do so, Sir.
§ Mr. CanavanWill the Prime Minister tell the paper workers, many of whom are on short time or faced with the threat of redundancy, what steps the Government are taking to try to revitalise the paper industry? Will he also tell the people of Scotland that the Government's plans to bring more jobs to Scotland are being thwarted by the Tories, who refused to allow the Scottish Development Agency Bill to go to the Scottish Grand Committee, and by the Scottish National Party, whose Right-wing industrial spokesman is quoted as saying that the SNP would like to extract all the Socialist bits out of the Scottish Development Agency Bill, thus effectively emasculating it and reducing it to a mere free hand-out scheme of public money to private companies?
§ The Prime MinisterI am most grateful to my hon. Friend for those pieces of information, especially in relation to the emasculation of the SNP and the position it has taken. Masculine or feminine—I am not surprised about that.
I had not been aware—I confess I missed this through my absence abroad—that the Conservative Party's one positive contribution to Scotland in the past year was to stop the Scottish Development Agency Bill going to the Scottish 650 Grand Committee. Obviously, now that this matter has been drawn to their attention, I am sure that Opposition Front Bench Members will be much more co-operative in this.
My hon. Friend will be aware that the problems of the paper industry are literally world-wide. As a result of high prices and shortages of materials, the paper industry problem is extremely serious. On 1st July my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Industry will be transferring his responsibilities for selective assistance to industry in Scotland to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland, provided that the Conservative Party does not hold up that necessary provision from the Scottish Grand Committee. He will continue to bring to the attention of suitable firms the advantages of location in the Stirlingshire area.
§ Mr. CrawfordWill the Prime Minister reassure the people of West Stirlingshire about jobs for Scotland by instructing the Leader of the House to bring forward the Scottish Development Agency Bill to the Floor of the House as soon as possible, because the Government are holding it up just as much as the major Opposition party in England? [HON. MEMBERS: "Wrong again."]
§ The Prime MinisterPerhaps the hon. Gentleman is not aware that a Bill which starts in another place must finish its work in another place before it comes to this House.
§ Mr. FauldsHaving been educated in Stirlingshire and in Louth—so that I could have got in on the next Question as well—and having discovered as a young man in the coal mining community around Cowie the obscenities of the effects of Tory Government rule, may I ask the Prime Minister to make a more determined effort, by providing stronger and inspired leadership, to rally the trade union movement to stronger commitment to the social contract? It is the people whom he and I represent—not that shower on the Opposition benches—who suffer most from non-compliance with the social contract.
§ The Prime MinisterYes. I am grateful to my hon. Friend, especially for what he said about that part of Scotland where he received his education. The coal 651 mining area in that part of Scotland is well known to me. I have had a lot to do with it in the past. If the Opposition had known about coal, we would not have had the three-day week, would we?
What my hon. Friend said about the Tory and coal owners' treatment of the Scottish coal industry leads me to apologise to him for once criticising his literary style in this House. [Interruption.] It is the view which is so bad from this side.
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. Is that why the Prime Minister turns his back on me?
§ The Prime MinisterNo, Mr. Speaker. I always find it a more refreshing view when I turn towards you.
Having once criticised my hon. Friend's literary style, I would only say that his use of the word "obscenity" about the Tories' treatment of the coal industry in Scotland was an understatement [Interruption.] Some at least are just too young to have an alibi. My hon. Friend was right in what he said about the social contract. I entirely agree with him.
§ Rear-Admiral Morgan-GilesBefore the the Prime Minister goes to Stirlingshire, Longbridge or anywhere else where there have been industrial relations difficulties, will he make sure that his right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Industry does not foul things up first by any more remarks about hating working people?
§ The Prime MinisterI have been studying over the past few days, while I was away, the valuable contribution made to industrial relations by the hon. and gallant Gentleman's interventions. I noticed his deep interest in industrial relations, and I hope that the whole House will be worthy of his contributions.
§ Mr. PeytonWhile we all understand the Prime Minister's passion for writing and, indeed, rewriting history, may I ask him now to try to face the future with a little more clarity than he achieved last Sunday?
§ The Prime MinisterIf the right hon. Gentleman thinks that what my hon. Friends and I said about the coal industry in Scotland when the Conservative Party was responsible is rewriting history, he does not understand history for a start.
I stand by what I said last Sunday, including the answer to the penultimate 652 question about a coalition. I said that a coalition would lower the intellectual quality of this Front Bench if we had anyone from the Opposition Front Bench. I also stand by what I further said about the Opposition, in which the right hon. Gentleman now plays so leading a part—indeed, even greater than his qualification in terms of the votes he got when he stood for the leadership—that on not a single matter affecting the country have they produced any policy at all. If the right hon. Gentleman wants to get up now and tell us what the Opposition's policy is on a single item, the House will be delighted to listen.