Correspondence (Hansard, 16 June 1981)

§ Q4. Mr. Teddy Taylor
asked the Prime Minister how many letters she has received from members of the general public since May 1979.

§ The Prime Minister
Some 320,000.

§ Mr. Taylor
What proportion of that enormous mailbag related to crime? Does my right hon. Friend agree that the current escalation of violence and vandalism and the desperately overcrowded prisons have created a position in which greater priority should be given to the battle against crime?

§ The Prime Minister
I cannot tell my hon. Friend the precise proportion of letters relating to crime. During the past month about 500 letters out of a total of 16,000 were concerned with increasing crime, violence and vandalism. The extent of the Government's concern about the problem is shown by the fact that since we returned to power the number of policemen in England and Wales has increased by 6,000, by 600 in Scotland and by 700 in Northern Ireland. We put priority on law and order, and we were right to do so.

§ Mr. Cryer
Is it not true that a large proportion of the 320,000 letters expressed opposition to nuclear weapons? Is not the decision of the Secretary of State for Defence to employ public relations consultants to mount a campaign for nuclear weapons an indication of the enormous success of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, which was also reflected in last week's decision by NALGO to vote against nuclear weapons for Britain?
Will the right hon. Lady assure the House that the public relations consultants will not engage in the lies indulged in by Saatchi and Saatchi at the last general election, and try to pretend that nuclear weapons are safe? The only sure defence is to get rid of them.

§ The Prime Minister
There was not a large proportion of letters about nuclear weapons. We receive such letters when there is a lobby on that matter from time to time. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence does not need any public relations expert to put forward his views on defence—as the hon. Gentleman would know if he had listened thoroughly to the absolutely superb speech made by my right hon. Friend from the Dispatch Box during the debate on the Defence White Paper. The only security for a nation lies in its being prepared to defend itself and deter an aggressor. For these reasons, we need nuclear weapons.

§ Mr. Marlow
Will my right hon. Friend reassure those who have written to her about the unacceptable burdens on the British consumer of the common agricultural policy that she is seeking radical reforms of that policy? Will she say in which areas those reforms should take place?

§ The Prime Minister
We are most certainly seeking radical reform by a reduction of the enormous surpluses that take such a large proportion of the budget. We shall continue to seek that reform, both for its own sake and also as a necessity before we can reform the budget structure of the Community.

§ Mr. Campbell-Savours
Has the Prime Minister received much correspondence about the ITN production last week "The Silent Minority" which dealt with the tragic 859 position of the mentally handicapped? It showed major deficiencies in public expenditure. What does she intend to do about that?

§ The Prime Minister
Not to my knowledge. I saw a good deal of publicity about it, if, as I think, the hon. Gentleman and I are talking about the same thing. Speaking as a Member who has a very large mental hospital in her constituency, I can only say that I admire very much the wonderful work done by the vast majority of doctors and nurses who serve in those hospitals.

§ Mr. Nicholas Winterton
Can my right hon. Friend indicate how many of the letters out of the massive correspondence she has received have been on the subject 860 of the need by the Government to introduce further industrial relations legislation, particularly relating to the closed shop, the secret ballot and secondary action? I ask this question bearing in mind that she is addressing the CBI at its annual dinner this evening. I hope that she can give the CBI some reassurance.

§ The Prime Minister
When we get an example such as that of Joanna Harris, and other well-known cases, we get a large amount of correspondence, as we would expect, because such a case is contrary to the fundamental liberty of the individual. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment is receiving many representations about the Green Paper and it is quite on the cards that we may have more legislation next Session.