Public Meetings (Hansard, 2 March 1987)

§ 24. Mr. Winnick
asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many public meetings he has addressed in the last month.

§ Mr. Tebbit
On the basis of experience during February, about 15 hours a week.

§ Mr. Winnick
In view of all the rosy optimism that Ministers, including the right hon. Gentleman, show about the economy—

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. This is question No. 24, about public meetings.

§ Mr. Tebbit
The hon. Member for Caernarfon (Mr. Wigley), who should have asked question No. 22, is probably still celebrating St. David's day.
My answer to the hon. Member for Walsall, North (Mr. Winnick) is : in the course of my duties as Chancellor of the Duchy, none.

§ Mr. Winnick
In view of all the rosy optimism that Ministers show about the economy, how does the right hon. Gentleman explain the fact that whenever elections give people the opportunity the Tory vote virtually collapses, as it did at Greenwich? Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that many of his numerous political opponents hope that he will continue his job as party chairman, though not as Chancellor of the Duchy, for many years to come?

§ Mr. Tebbit
I note what the hon. Gentleman says. Presumably it is an expression of his hope that the Labour party will shortly lose many more of the seats that it has held for more than 40 years. I share that hope.

§ Mr. Yeo
Is my right hon. Friend aware that he would be most welcome if he could find time to address a public meeting in my constituency of Suffolk, South? It would provide him with a valuable opportunity to tell my electorate, especially the farming community, which is prominent in my constituency, what a disastrous future it would have if Labour or SDP-Liberal policies were ever put into practice.

§ Mr. Tebbit
Once again, I am not sure whether it would be the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster speaking in Suffolk or one of my other incarnations. However, in any of my incarnations I should certainly tell the farmers about the Labour party's proposals to introduce rating of agricultural premises and the great split within the alliance between the half that wants to introduce the rating of agricultural land and the half that does not.

§ Mr. Alex Carlile
Will the right hon. Gentleman tell us how many of his meetings in the past month dragged him away from the county palatine into Greenwich and how he would assess his success rate per meeting in Greenwich?

§ Mr. Tebbit
The Chancellor of the Duchy did not attend any meetings in Greenwich, so once again the hon. and learned Gentleman's question has gone sadly adrift. I shall be happy to come to the Dispatch Box after the general election and tell the hon. and learned Gentleman about the statistics of the general election if he has the good fortune to be here.