§ Q3. Mr. Neubertasked the Prime Minister whether he will list his engagements for 19th April 1977.
§ The Prime MinisterIn addition to my duties in this House I shall be holding meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. This evening I shall be the guest of Her Majesty the Queen at Windsor.
§ Mr. NeubertWhile on the way to Windsor will the Prime Minister stop off at Heathrow Airport and endeavour to do something to resolve the two-week dispute amongst British Airways engineering workers, which is costing the taxpayer millions of pounds and causing immense inconvenience to many air passengers?
§ The Prime MinisterThat is one visit that I should certainly think was very relevant in some ways, but I fear that I shall not be making it. I think that it would be better left to the Chairman of the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, who has called a meeting today of all the parties to the dispute. It would be better if I refrained from comment at this stage, although I agree with the hon. Gentleman that this is costing British Airways, at a favourable time for the corporation, a substantial sum, which comes out of the taxpayer's pocket.
§ Mr. WrigglesworthOn his way to Windsor, could my right hon. Friend visit the headquarters of the Building Societies Association and ask it why, as the minimum lending rate has been reduced 12 times since its peak of 15 per cent., the rate for mortgages has been reduced by only 1 per cent.? Does my right hon. Friend not think that the building societies could have reduced their lending rate by a greater percentage than they have?
§ The Prime MinisterIt is true that the minimum lending rate has been substantially reduced and is now at 9 per cent.—a fall of 6 per cent. since last October, and 3½ per cent. lower than when the Opposition were last in office, which is a substantial reduction. As for future building society rates, I hope that the societies will continue to review their 27 rates carefully, because they can both help to make a difference to the rate of inflation and ease the burden on the house owner. I trust that they will make a further reduction as soon as they can.
§ Mr. HendersonIs the Prime Minister aware that the credibility and seriousness of his intentions regarding devolution have been seriously undermined by the decision to discontinue some of the work on the Royal High School building in Edinburgh? Will the Prime Minister tell us when he has arranged to meet his hon. Friend the Member for West Lothian (Mr. Dalyell) and other members of the Unionist wing in his party who are preventing devolution from coming into effect?
§ The Prime MinisterIt is my view that the Government's credibility on devolution has been substantially improved as a result of our arrangements with the Liberal Party, and I hope that this will enable us to move ahead with some of this legislation in the not too distant future. Whether work on a particular building is continued is not germane to that.
§ Mr. HendersonYes, it is.
§ The Prime MinisterNo, because the Government intend to press ahead with the devolution proposals as soon as they can secure a majority for them, however changed or amended they may have to be.