HC Deb 10 March 1987 vol 112 cc136-7
3. Mr. Winnick

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has any plans to review the responsibilities within his Department of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Derbyshire, South (Mrs. Currie); and if he will make a statment.

15. Mr. Lofthouse

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has any plans to review the responsibility within his Department of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Derbyshire, South (Mrs. Currie.)

16. Mr. Parry

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will re-allocate the responsibilies currently exercised within his Department by the hon. Member for Derbyshire, South (Mrs. Currie).

The Secretary of State for Social Services (Mr. Norman Fowler)

No, Sir.

Mr. Winnick

This is meant to be helpful — [Interruption.] Have not some of the comments by the hon. Lady since becoming the junior Minister in his Department been quite extraordinary? Did the Prime Minister have some sort of grudge against the Secretary of State and decide to punish him by putting that somewhat publicity-crazed person into his Department?

Mr. Fowler

The real position is that a successful politican such as my hon. Friend, says what everybody is thinking, while an unsuccessful politican, such as the hon. Gentleman, says what nobody is thinking, or would ever think.

Mr. Lofthouse

Considering the many foolish utterances by the hon. Lady, can the Secretary of State tell the House why she is so popular among her Tory colleagues?

Mr. Fowler

My hon. Friend is popular among her colleagues, and up and down the country.

Dame Jill Knight

Does my right hon. Friend recognise that in tabling such questions, Opposition Members are suffering from an excess of sour grapes? One must have just a little sympathy with them because there is no one on the Opposition Front Bench who has the energy, clarity and ability to hit the headlines like my hon. Friend.

Mr. Fowler

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. As for the criticism of my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, given what the Prime Minister has had to put up with from Opposition Members, it goes considerably further than sour grapes.

Sir George Young

Is it not typical of the sexist attitudes of many Opposition Members that they gun for one of the few women Ministers in the Government?

Mr. Fowler

My hon. Friend is right. I know of his interest in health education and my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State has put that firmly on the map.

Mr. Simon Hughes

Is the Secretary of State aware that I applaud the statement made by his junior Minister that smoking is dirty and smelly? In the light of that and because it appears to be the view of the entire Department, will the Secretary of State take the time to persuade his colleagues in the Department of the Environment that the only way to deal with smoking is to stop advertising it, and to allow people to make a choice and not to influence them in all their activities by advertising campaigns? Lastly—[Interruption.]

Mr. Speaker

Order. The question is clearly about the Minister and not about her statement.

Mr. Fowler

I think that I answered that question from the hon. Gentleman the last time that we had social security questions. The fact is that we have a voluntary code on advertising in this country. That has applied under this and the previous Government and it is the most effective way of dealing with the problems.