Engagements (Hansard, 26 October 1993)

§ Q5. Mr. Sumberg
To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 26 October.

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

§ Mr. Sumberg
Is my right hon. Friend aware of a proposal by the Department of Transport to build a new six-lane motorway adjacent to the existing eight-lane M62, which cuts through my constituency? This proposal would involve the demolition of more than 350 homes. It is creating widespread housing and planning blight and is regarded by me and the whole community as an environmental disaster. Will my right hon. Friend tell the Department of Transport to withdraw the proposals forthwith?

§ The Prime Minister
I understand the concerns expressed by my hon. Friend and I know how vigorous he has been in expressing them on behalf of his constituents. I can undertake that the Department of Transport will take into account the views that have been expressed to me by my hon. Friend, and those of his constituents.

§ Q7. Sir John Hannam
To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 26 October.

§ The Prime Minister
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave some moments ago.

§ Sir John Hannam
Given my right hon. Friend's support and commitment to the people of the south-west, can he give any encouragement to our wish to see a slowing down in the programme of implementation of EC water directives and a lowering of future water charges for the hard-pressed people of Devon and Cornwall?

§ The Prime Minister
As I think my hon. Friend knows, we are seeing what scope there is to apply the directives more flexibly and to minimise the cost that would otherwise fall on the water user in the south-west. We are therefore inviting our Community partners to re-examine priorities in the detailed implementation of the urban waste water treatment directive and also to consider whether the timetable for meeting the obligations is consistent with the current economic conditions in the Community. There is no quick or simple answer to this matter, but I can assure my hon. Friend that we are continuing to explore all avenues to try to minimise the costs that would otherwise arise.

§ Q8. Mr. Boyce
To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 26 October.

§ The Prime Minister
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave some moments ago.

§ Mr. Boyce
The Prime Minister talks about a recovery being under way, led by this country. How can he tell us that we must face reality when, in reality, jobs are haemorrhaging in our constituencies every day? The Primė Minister is aware that a steel works is to close in my constituency, with the loss of 260 jobs carried out by the most flexible operatives in the country, if not the world. What words of comfort has the Prime Minister for those people who have been thrown on the scrap heap?

§ The Prime Minister
The hon. Gentleman needs to understand that unemployment is falling in this country, whereas it is not falling in other countries. Unemployment fell last month among both men and women in every region and in every part of the country. That month's decrease confirms the underlying strength of the economy. As the hon. Gentleman perhaps does not know, long-term unemployment has fallen over the last six months; long-term unemployment over longer periods has fallen; vacancies have risen; and the work force in employment have also risen. There is still a long way to go to get unemployment at the levels we would wish to see, but those Opposition Members who were keen to forecast 3.5 million unemployment just a few months ago had better stand up and admit now that it is under 3 million and falling.