§ Q2. Mr. Neubertasked the Prime Minister whether he will list his official engagements for 21st March.
§ The Prime MinisterIn addition to my duties in this House, I shall be holding meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. This evening I hope to have an Audience of Her Majesty the Queen.
§ Mr. NeubertDoes the Prime Minister accept the Select Committee's call for greater limitation on immigration into this country?
§ The Prime MinisterI think that it will be better for me to reserve comment on that document, which is 75 pages long. So far as I can see, although it has produced a unanimous report, the conclusions drawn by some from it are not unanimous. If it will assist the hon. Gentleman to cope with the complexities of the report, I shall be glad to renew my offer of all-party talks on this matter to see what can be secured.
§ Mr. FauldsWill my right hon. Friend ponder today and every day whether it is not a measure of the arrogance of Zionism that the new Nazis of Israel, in an act of State terrorism, have launched a force of 20,000 men into a neighbouring country—occupying yet further Arab territory from which, of course, they will not withdraw—in open aggression which can only eventually fulfil Ben-Gurion's warning, many years ago, that if Begin, whom he termed a Hitlerite, ever came to power he would lead his country to disaster?
§ The Prime MinisterThat is more an expression of opinion than a question. It is not an opinion that I would share.
§ Mr. MacKayDoes the Prime Minister agree that the Select Committee report is extremely realistic and in stark contrast to Labour Party conference motions on immigration and race relations?
§ The Prime MinisterNo. I am sure that the hon. Gentleman would not ex- 1320 pect me to agree with that. I hope to study the Select Committee report. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department has made some preliminary observations on it. I do not know what impact it will have on the level of immigration. I looked to see whether there are any figures showing any possible level of reduction, but I could not find any. I shall be told whether I am right. I am told that it was too complex a subject for the Select Committee to forecast large reductions. I think that we had better study these matters and ascertain whether there are any loopholes that can be closed. If there are, they should be.
§ Mr. Kilroy-SilkWill my right hon. Friend take some time today to consider the worsening unemployment situation on Merseyside, and the fact that over and above the present 12.6 per cent. unemployment we have about 10,000 redundancies pending? Will he initiate a new, more radical and more imaginative programme for the regeneration of industry, especially the creation of a Merseyside development agency?
§ The Prime MinisterI do not know whether my hon. Friend has seen the latest figures for the United Kingdom, but unemployment fell by 47,000 in March. The figures show a fall for six successive months. I believe that I am right in saying that there was also a fall of 3,000 in the number of unemployed on Merseyside. To that extent it is not a worsening situation. I think that everybody must be troubled about the psychological impact of what is happening on Merseyside. However, there are many good things going on in Liverpool and in the Merseyside area. All we hear about are the bad things. Although the situation is serious, I should like to see, and would be glad to help, a concerted effort to give a balanced picture of Merseyside, including all the good things as well as the bad things, to ascertain whether there are any other steps that can be taken to improve the situation.
§ Q3. Mr. Wrigglesworthasked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 21st March.
§ The Prime MinisterI refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I have just given to the hon. Member for Romford (Mr. Neubert).
§ Mr. WrigglesworthWill my right hon. Friend remind himself today of what was said in the October 1974 Labour Party manifesto—namely, that we should seek to establish a co-operative development agency? Does my right hon. Friend know that many of us in the co-operative group of the Parliamentary Labour Party are disappointed that no development agency proposals have yet been brought forward? Does he agree that such an agency would help to bring people together to run their own enterprises? Will he tell us what the Government propose to do on this issue?
§ The Prime MinisterAs my hon. Friend will know, the report that was made by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State, Department of Employment was published shortly before the Session began. I can tell my hon. Friend that the Bill to establish a co-operative development agency will be introduced this week—[HON. MEMBERS: "Today."] That confirms what I am saying. That only goes to show how speedily the Government have moved on the report.
§ Mr. BudgenWhen the House is considering the report of the Select Committee on Race Relations, will the Prime Minister remind it of the reasons that he advanced when he was Home Secretary, when he withdrew the right of male fiancés to enter the country? Will he further explain why it is that the same arguments do not apply today?
§ The Prime MinisterAll these matters are on the record and in the debate, but they do not happen to be part of my official engagements for 21st March.