§ Q1. Mr. Stephen Rossasked the Prime Minister if he will pay an official visit to the Isle of Wight.
§ The Prime Minister (Mr. James Callaghan)I have at present no plans to do so.
§ Mr. RossIs the Prime Minister aware that I am deeply disappointed that he will not be following the now monthly visit of official Opposition Members to my constituency? Is he further aware that in the Isle of Wight there are three prisons, two of which are in the top security category, and that prison officers on the island would very much like to meet him? Will he follow up the initiative on education and start a great debate on all aspects of prison life and sentencing?
§ The Prime MinisterMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department has already answered the hon. Gentleman on some of those matters this afternoon. I am very satisfied with the way in which the matter is now being dealt with and I see no reason to intervene personally.
§ Mr. HefferBefore my right hon. Friend visits the Isle of Wight, will he visit Liverpool, where there are now over 80,000 unemployed and where—
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. I must remind the hon. Gentleman that I ruled earlier this week and last week that supplementary questions should have some relationship to the Question, otherwise we can go round every city in the United Kingdom on the one question.
§ Mr. HefferOn a point of order, Mr. Speaker. [Interruption.] I do not care 604 what you say. We have over 80,000 people unemployed—[Interruption.]
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. The hon. Gentleman did not mean to be discourteous. He was emphasising that he feels strongly about the matter. Perhaps he will ask a question and try to relate it to the Question on the Order Paper.
§ Mr. HefferIt is possible that Plessey has a factory in the Isle of Wight—
§ Mr. Heffer—although I am not aware of such a factory. However, before my right hon. Friend visits the Plessey factory on the Isle of Wight will he visit the Plessey factory in Liverpool, where 2,800 workers are likely to be put out of work in the next few months, adding to the 89,000 who are already out of work on Merseyside? Will my right hon. Friend recognise that Merseyside is now becoming a disaster area and that we cannot tolerate it any longer?
§ The Prime MinisterThere is a Question on the Order Paper concerning an official visit to Kirkby, which is part of Merseyside. I was expecting and intending to make some observations in response to the supplementary questions that I assumed would be coming on that Question. Perhaps it will be more convenient if I make my observations in response to that Question.
§ Mr. AdleyIs the Prime Minister aware that both in the Isle of Wight and in my adjacent constituency there are many people who work at Vosper Thornycroft? Is he aware that Vosper Thornycroft accounts for 10 per cent. of the ship repairing capacity of this country? As the Government have now decided to remove the ship repairing companies from the nationalisation proposals, does he agree that the ship repairing capacity of Vosper Thornycroft should be offered the same life line?
§ The Prime MinisterI am not prepared to give an answer to that detailed question on this Question.
§ Mr. GouldIs my right hon. Friend aware that many employees of Vosper Thornycroft in my constituency will be delighted by the fact that the Royal Navy has placed an order for a Type 42 frigate with the firm and that they will draw 605 comfort from that fact and will appreciate that they have nothing to fear and a great deal to gain from public ownership?