Bexley (Hansard, 29 November 1988)

§ Q4. Mr. Evennett
To ask the Prime Minister if she has any plans to make an official visit to Bexley.

§ The Prime Minister
I have at present no plans to do so.

§ Mr. Evennett
Naturally, my right hon. Friend's reply will disappoint her many supporters in the London borough of Bexley. However, will my right hon. Friend ignore the whingeing and whining from the Opposition Front-Bench speakers on economic policy, because they do not understand economics? Will she come down to Bexley to see the successful results of her economic policy in action? Is she aware that in the past year unemployment in Bexley has fallen by 25 per cent.?

§ The Prime Minister
I am glad to hear that the changes that the Conservative Government have brought about have given a considerable increase in prosperity to my hon. Friend's constituency—the more so because many years ago, in 1950 and 1951, I fought the constituency of Erith and Crayford, and it was nothing like as good then.

§ Q5. Mr. Nigel Griffiths
To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 29 November.

§ The Prime Minister
I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

§ Mr. Griffiths
Does the Prime Minister still think that the Chancellor of the Exchequer is "brilliant" on mortgage rates, interest rates and the record trade deficit, because nobody else does?

§ The Prime Minister
I disagree with the hon. Gentleman. I think that Edinburgh is a flourishing city—more flourishing than it has been for years.

§ Q6. Mr. Shersby
To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 29 November.

§ The Prime Minister
I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

§ Mr. Shersby
Is my right hon. Friend aware that her leadership in calling for a world summit on the climate in London next March will be welcomed by everyone who is interested in the need to protect the ozone layer? Will she express the thanks of the House to ICI for its investment of £30 million in two new chemical plants to produce ecologically safe substitutes for chlorofluorocarbons?

§ The Prime Minister
I thank my hon. Friend for that question. We have called another conference for 7 March in London to take further the previous decision on chlorofluorocarbons because of the effect that they are having on depleting the ozone layer. At the moment, the production of these chemicals has been taken down to 50 per cent. of its previous level and we wish to take it down much further—until we have only 15 per cent.—and eventually to eliminate it. It is complicated because, as my hon. Friend said, we must have proper scientific substitutes for the work that those chemicals do. I gladly join him in congratulating ICI on the great initiative that it has undertaken to find those solvents.

§ Mr. Kinnock
What advice has the Prime Minister to give to first-time home buyers—to those outside London who this year have had to find an average £40 a month extra in mortgage repayments, to those inside London who have had to find an extra £70 a month for their mortgage repayments and to those who dread the mortgage rises yet to come? As someone who, like me, is in favour of home buying, what does she advise them to do?

§ The Prime Minister
I find it difficult to believe the last part of the hon. Gentleman's question. I wonder why he fought so much against the sale of council houses. No one wishes to put up mortgage repayments. I point out that, except for those who recently purchased houses, the asset value of people's houses has gone up enormously in the past two years.

§ Mr. Kinnock
Is it not obvious from that answer that the Prime Minister has only one thing to say to home buyers, "Tough luck, you are on your own"?

§ The Prime Minister
Nonsense. Home ownership has gone up enormously under this Government and will continue to go up. As I am sure the right hon. Gentleman must know, people who have bought their houses have seen the asset value of those houses increase colossally.

§ Mr. Key
Does my right hon. Friend agree that the first duty of any dean and chapter of a cathedral is the maintenance of Christian worship? Does she also agree, however, that, as so many of our cathedrals are in need of substantial renovation to their fabric, they should at least be accorded the status given to parish churches and be eligible for restoration grants from the taxpayer?

§ The Prime Minister
As my hon. Friend is aware, the Government make a good deal of money—or perhaps a certain amount of money—available for the restoration of parish churches and all of it is taken up. As my hon. Friend is also aware, a number of cathedrals have had special appeals and have been very successful in raising the money. I think that they have been stronger because they have raised the money privately, than they would have been if they had just had a grant from Government bodies. I hope that they will continue, but we would not like the amount of money available to parish churches to be less because of the demand from cathedrals.