HC Deb 10 January 1978 vol 941 cc1433-5
Q1. Mr. Skinner

asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 10th January.

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

In the absence of my right hon. Friend who is away on his official visit to South Asia, I have been asked to reply.

Today my right hon. Friend is in India, where he is carrying out a full programme of engagements, including visits to Ahmedabad and surrounding districts, accompanied by Prime Minister Desai.

Mr. Skinner

Is my right hon. Friend aware that this is the first time that I have had Question No. Q1 to the Prime Minister this Session, and now the Prime Minister has taken his annual leave? I am told that he has in his pocket a complete repair outfit for plugging up all the holes and leaks that have been left by Jimmy Carter on his travels.

Has my right hon. Friend heard the outpourings, in her newly-fashioned husky, sexy voice, of the Leader of the Opposition on matters such as pay policy? Does he, with his well-known opposition to statutory incomes policies, agree with that line?

Mr. Foot

I am glad to greet my hon. Friend in such a genial mood, and I am sure that it is a good omen for the weeks and months that lie ahead of us. I can tell him at once that I would much rather agree with him than with the Leader of the Opposition about pay policy.

Mr. Powell

In view of the continuance of the Prime Minister's visit to South-East Asia, is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the whole country was proud to hear the forthright assertion of the right hon. Gentleman that the law of the United Kingdom and its administration is a matter for this country, and this country alone? Will the Government apply the same principle to Ulster, which is an integral part of the United Kingdom?

Mr. Foot

I think that the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland was as forthright on that matter as was the Prime Minister's statement on immigration, and I believe that it will be welcomed in the country generally.

Mr. Dalyell

As regards the Deputy Prime Minister's engagements, as the Lord President over the years has been one of the most assiduous attenders in the House on the Front Bench, will he let us into the secret of why we see him so rarely during debates on the Scotland Bill? Could the real trouble be that his speeches might be a little too interesting and revealing?

Mr. Foot

I am glad that my hon. Friend has missed me so much. I shall do my best to come along and disappoint him in the later parts of the proceedings.

Mrs. Winifred Ewing

Will the Leader of the House, in lieu of the Prime Minister, take a moment today to ask his right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether it is true that the United Kingdom negotiators in Brussels are departing from their policy of a 50-mile limit which was agreed across the board by all parties in the House? Will he also ask him to comment on reports received today from the Grampian Regional Council and the Scottish Fishermen's Federation that those negotiators are indulging in a 50-mile sell-out and are moving towards a limit of 12 miles only?

Mr. Foot

I shall not comment on the details of the matter raised by the hon. Lady. I am sure the whole House agrees that my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture looks after the interests of the whole United Kingdom extremely well when he is in Brussels.

Mr. Rifkind

So that he might report to the Prime Minister, will the Leader of the House spend some time today viewing the Labour Party political broadcast which has been postponed until after the by-election at Ilford, North? Can he say whether this means that the Labour Party now takes the view that all its party political broadcasts do more harm than good? Will he give an assurance that during the forthcoming General Election campaign the public will be allowed an unhindered view of all Labour Party broadcasts?

Mr. Foot

I think that the hon. Gentleman has been misinformed about the original aspect of the matter, and, therefore, all his deductions are as irrelevant as we might expect. I believe that all such questions will assist in getting even larger audiences for the real Labour Party broadcasts that will be given.