Southampton (Hansard, 11 February 1992)

§ Q3. Mr. Hill
To ask the Prime Minister if he will visit the city and port of Southampton.

§ The Prime Minister
Tomorrow.

§ Mr. Hill
When my right hon. Friend visits the port of Southampton he will realise that two Conservative policies have changed the position of the port from stagnation to prosperity. The first policy was privatisation and the second the abolition of the national dock labour scheme. All the hospitals in Southampton have been rebuilt over the past few years. There is only one fly in the ointment—[Interruption.]

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. Let the hon. Gentleman ask his question—but briefly please.

§ Mr. Hill
My right hon. Friend will know that there is a Labour-controlled council. Not only are its policies extremely wasteful, but one of the companies that it set up is just collapsing, insolvent, and this is costing £8 a head to every community charge payer in the area.

§ The Prime Minister
My hon. Friend puts his point with great clarity and in some detail. Southampton is already part of a highly successful privatised group of ports. In some of the privatised ports, ending restrictive practices has led to an improvement in productivity of 50 to 100 per cent.