§ Q3. Mr. Canavanasked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 7th February.
§ The Prime MinisterIn addition to my duties in this House, I shall be holding meetings with ministerial colleagues and others.
§ Mr. CanavanWill the Prime Minister find time today to tell us what possible justification there is for the Government proposal to remove the upper limit on rent increases for council house tenants in Scotland, especially at a time when the same Labour Government are imposing a strict 10 per cent. pay limit by using sanctions against employers who are accused of the heinous crime of paying their workers too high wages?
§ The Prime MinisterThat seems to be an omnibus question. Perhaps my hon. Friend will consult the Secretary of State for Scotland.
§ Mr. David PriceAs today is the quincentenary of the birth of his distinguished predecessor Sir Thomas More, will the Prime Minister put duty to God and 1234 conscience before duty to his Government?
§ The Prime MinisterRecently I have read a number of tributes to Sir Thomas More, and I like to think that in a modest way I might emulate him, although I doubt it. What I am quite clear about is that if Sir Thomas More were alive today, on subjects such as Northern Ireland, Scottish devolution, immigration and control of inflation he would not turn tail and run away like the Leader of the Opposition.
§ Mr. NewensDuring the course of today, or the last few days, has the Prime Minister had the opportunity to consider the pressing need for legislation to prevent mercenaries from being recruited in this country to fight in Africa and elsewhere? This is necessary not only in the interests of peace but in the interests of the misguided people who might be recruited.
§ The Prime MinisterI have not looked into this. On the last occasion we had discussions about it there was a complete investigation and it was decided that the best way to deal with the issue was to take action against those recruiting the mercenaries rather than the mercenaries themselves. That may require legislation, and it is along those lines that the Government want to proceed.
§ Mr. NeubertWill the Prime Minister send birthday greetings to his son-in-law in Washington, who is 41 today? As this is Shrove Tuesday, can he substantiate his recent claim about leading us to the Promised Land? With the CBI reporting that two out of three manufacturers are working under capacity, with redundancies rising, output sluggish and demand weak, is it not clear that we are as far as ever from the Promised Land?
§ Mr. DalyellHow would Sir Thomas More have solved the central question of Scottish devolution?
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. I think it was a good thing that many of us did not hear that question.
§ The Prime MinisterI am not sure what the eminent saint would have said about devolution. I did have conversations with the former Member for Ayr Burghs, who was also Sir Thomas 1235 Moore. He was a very vivid Scotsman who wanted the maximum power to rest in that country.
§ Mr. Alexander FletcherWill the Prime Minister come back to earth and invite the Scottish TUC to reconvene its crisis conference on unemployment? That conference has not been held for five years—not since we had a Tory Government in power, when the level of unemployment in Scotland was half what it is today.
§ The Prime MinisterI am sure that the Scottish TUC will handle its own affairs without intervention from me. The important question is how the Opposition will support the Government in overcoming inflation and ensuring that we have a competitive economic system to get people back to full employment.
§ Mr. WrigglesworthWhen my right hon. Friend consults the CBI in the way he has suggested will he remind the Director General, Mr. John Methven, of what he said last year about Government pay policy? He said that if the Government hold the line, the private sector will do its damndest to hold the line. Will he ask the Director General what he intends to do about people on the black list?
§ The Prime MinisterMy conversations with Sir John lead me always to the conclusion that the CBI wishes to hold the line and is not encouraging its members to exceed in any way the 10 per cent. guideline. Indeed, it has given me information about a large number of companies which are keeping within the guideline. I wonder who those who are now apparently glorying in the situation—they include many Opposition Members—involving the breaking of guidelines and the conniving at secret agreements, think they are, and whether their dislike of the Government is so much greater than their dislike of the task of conquering inflation.