HC Deb 10 March 1977 vol 927 cc1627-8
Q1. Mr. Ward

asked the Prime Minister if he will list the responsibilities that he has allocated to the Secretary of State for Trade.

The Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (Mr. Michael Foot)

In the absence of my right hon. Friend in Washington, I have been asked to reply.

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade is responsible for overseas trade policy, commercial relations and tariffs; the work of the Export Credits Guarantee Department and the British Overseas Trade Board; tourism; the hotel, film, newspaper, publishing and printing industries; the distributive and service trades; civil aviation, marine safety and shipping policy; companies affairs, including co-ordination of consultations on industrial democracy; insurance, the Insolvency Service and the Patent Office.

Mr. Ward

I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for that reply. As investment and, therefore, job creation by British firms in the EEC have been running at about five times the level at which EEC firms have been investing in this country, is my right hon. Friend satisfied that the Secretary of State for Trade, in co-operation with other Departments, is doing enough to secure greater investment in this country? Will my right hon. Friend undertake to have this issue raised at the summit meeting on 7th and 8th May, with an EEC representative present?

Mr. Foot

I agree with the last suggestion made by my hon. Friend. Obviously, this is one of the matters that may be discussed at the summit meeting. But the other aspects of my hon. Friend's Question have constantly been pressed on representatives of the Government at meetings of the NEDC.

Mr. Michael McNair-Wilson

Does the Leader of the House agree that since there is now a Secretary of State for Transport, aviation should be one of his responsibilities rather than the responsibility of the Secretary of State for Trade?

Mr. Foot

We have no proposals for the transfer of the arrangements now, but if there are such proposals I am sure that the Prime Minister will consider them.

Mr. John Garrett

My right hon. Friend's list omitted import policy and import substitution policy. Will he see to it that the Secretary of State for Trade takes these issues rather more seriously than he had done in the past?

Mr. Foot

Although these matters are not directly within my right hon. Friend's control, I am sure that my right hon. Friend does not take them lightly. They are, of course, of equal importance with exports.

Mr. Anthony Grant

Will the right hon. Gentleman confirm that it is still the Government's policy and the policy of the Secretary of State for Trade to resist the daft and dangerous concept of import controls, generalised or selective?

Mr. Foot

My right hon. Friend resists all daft and dangerous proposals.

Mr. Mellish

The list of duties read out by my right hon. Friend shows that the Secretary of State for Trade is a very busy little bee—[Interruption.]—spelt "bee". Is my right hon. Friend satisfied that we are getting value for money, and does he think that anyone is capable of doing all those things?

Mr. Foot

I am glad that my right hon. Friend was not introducing his Bermondsey language into the House in the earlier part of his question. If anyone is capable of doing all those jobs, I am sure that it is the Secretary of State for Trade.