§ Q4. Mr. Barry FieldTo ask the Prime Minister what plans he has for the future of the May day bank holiday.
§ Mr. MacGregorI have been asked to reply.
The Government have no plans to change the present public holiday arrangements, although we shall continue to keep the situation under review.
§ Mr. FieldWhy do we not throw off this hangover of socialism and instead celebrate a free enterprise day, a British export day or, better still, a low taxation day? Does my right hon. Friend agree that those who think that high taxation is the answer to recession are about to try to convince the electorate that suffocation is a form of first aid?
§ Mr. MacGregorOn the question about May day being a bank holiday, I can give my hon. Friend some comfort. Although I know that my hon. Friend is interested in switching it to the autumn, we have no plans to do that because there are different views about it. I think that he will agree nevertheless that on May day, instead of celebrating socialism, we now celebrate the end of socialism.
§ Mrs. Margaret EwingWill the Lord President of the Council, as a fellow Scot, tell me whether he has had the opportunity to study in depth the implications of the ICM opinion poll?
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. Sadly, the question is about May day.