§ 7. Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the trade consequences of a military option in the Gulf.
§ Mr. SainsburyNone.
§ Mr. DalyellWith 300 Kuwaiti oilwells detonated, tankers in the Gulf Exoceted, some Saudi and Emirate production missile-eliminated, fire trenches described to many of us by General Colin Powell in a Committee Room last night as incinerated, and the use of nuclear weapons not excluded, what then happens when the price of oil is $120 per barrel on the Rotterdam spot market? How do Ministers reply to today's Oxford survey? What happens then if there is a military option?
§ Mr. SainsburyAll that is needed to bring about a peaceful resolution of the crisis is for Saddam Hussein to obey the United Nations resolutions and to withdraw. [HON. MEMBERS: "Answer the question."] The hon. Gentleman has made clear his concern about these issues on a number of occasions and he has been answered by my right hon. and hon. Friends.
§ Mr. Ian BruceHas my hon. Friend reflected on whether a quick resolution would ensure that we returned to normal trade throughout the region? Have not the high prices brought about by the crisis reduced the consumption of oil and petrol and thus reduced the greenhouse effect that the hon. Member for Linlithgow (Mr. Dalyell) is constantly talking about?
§ Mr. SainsburyMy hon. Friend is aware that the trade consequences of what has already happened have been severe, especially on certain states in the area. The consequences of the rather volatile movements of oil prices are difficult to predict and we shall not know for a little while whether the good consequence of less oil being consumed and less sulphur dioxide in the atmosphere has been brought about. I am sure that the entire House shares the common concern that we should obtain a peaceful solution, but one which means that the United Nations resolutions have been obeyed.
§ Mr. CohenHas not the Minister of State for Defence Procurement's denial of The Sunday Times Insight teams report been less than full and clear? Will the Minister——
§ The Minister of State for Defence Procurement (Mr. Alan Clark)Why did the hon. Gentleman not ask that question when I was on my feet?
§ Mr. BellOn a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Those of us who were trying to listen to the supplementary question put by my hon. Friend the Member for Leyton (Mr. Cohen) had our hearing of it interrupted by a Minister of the Crown. Is it appropriate for a member of the Cabinet——
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. I was listening carefully to what the hon. Member for Leyton (Mr. Cohen) was saying. I do not think that anything disorderly occurred. However, this matter was raised at some length on Monday.
§ Mr. CohenWill the Minister publish the ministerial minutes? Is it not wholly inappropriate for a Minister to be leading the war effort who facilitated, with a nod and a wink, the sale of weapon-making equipment to the Iraqis?
§ Mr. Sainsburyrose——[Interruption.]
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. I will do the pointing.
§ Mr. SainsburyThank you, Mr. Speaker. I suggest that the hon. Gentleman reads the proceedings of the House on Monday as they appear in Hansard, when I made a statement on the issues to which he is referring and when a number of questions were answered.
§ Mr. DalyellOn a point of order, Mr. Speaker. In view of the unsatisfactory non-reply to my supplementary question, I hope to raise the ecological consequences of the Gulf military option in a debate on the Adjournment.