HC Deb 25 October 1994 vol 248 cc755-6
Madam Speaker

Order. I am sure that the House does not want more of me. Quieten down now.

Q7. Ms Lynne

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 25 October.

The Prime Minister

I refer the hon. Lady to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

Ms Lynne

Given the Prime Minister's avowed intention to maintain the highest standards in public life, will he reassure the House that the disgraceful tactics used by the Government to crush the Civil Rights (Disabled Persons) Bill will not be used again when disabled persons' legislation comes before the House in future?

The Prime Minister

I indicated earlier in the year that we would send out a consultation document on the question of anti-discrimination legislation for disabled people. We have done so. We have received more than 1,000 responses to that document. We are examining those carefully and, as soon as we have finished that, we will make an appropriate announcement.

Mr. Thomason

Does my right hon. Friend agree that the creation of 1,000 additional jobs by Rover at the Longbridge plant on the edge of my constituency is a demonstration of good Government policy and superb local management, and will he support it?

The Prime Minister

All extra jobs are worth while and we have had a lot recently. Unemployment has fallen by more than 400,000, partly as a result of growth in the economy, partly because of the increased competitiveness and partly because of the sort of investment in this country that would not take place if the policies of the Opposition parties had been followed. We now have output rising at 3.5 per cent., inflation at a 27-year low, unemployment down by 400,000 and business confidence at a high level. I look forward to more jobs being created in my hon. Friend's constituency and elsewhere.

Q8. Mr. Tyler

To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 25 October.

The Prime Minister

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

Mr. Tyler

When, this time last week, the Prime Minister answered my question about making his Administration a sleaze-free zone, why did he not admit to the House that he had had an inquiry for three weeks into the behaviour of members of his party? Why did he not come clean with the House at that stage, instead of waiting for newspaper revelations to force that information out of him?

The Prime Minister

When the hon. Gentleman reads the Cabinet Secretary's report, which I will be publishing this afternoon, he will see that his question is wrong and he will owe me an apology.

Mr. Peter Bottomley

Is not the point about public appointments that, if we had not had denationalisation, the Government would still be left appointing their own placemen to run half of British industry? Has not one of the great gains of having a Conservative Government for the past 15 years been that we have got rid of most of those appointments and that we do not need to have trade unionists on every board in the country?

The Prime Minister

My hon. Friend is entirely right about that. It is also entirely to right to say that we need people who are public spirited to serve on non-departmental public bodies. That is the case and it has been for a long time. [Interruption.] Perhaps I may remind hon. Members who shouted out, "They are all Tories" of a Labour party national executive committee advice note published recently? It reads as follows: Labour Party members may take up places on non-elected authorities and use them as a platform for our campaigning". It goes on: Members accepting appointments of this kind should inform Walworth Road so that the … Shadow spokespeople and Head Office policy officers can maintain a network of contacts, informing appointees of Labour policy and collecting useful information in return. That is the sleazy way in which the Labour party deals with non-departmental bodies.

Mr. Bill Michie

Why are the Prime Minister and his Government spending so much time chasing would-be or wishful job seekers, instead of concentrating on his right hon. and hon. Friends who have too many paid jobs?

The Prime Minister

We are seeking to put as many people as we possibly can who are at present without jobs and unemployed—whom the hon. Gentleman claims that he cares about—back into work. The job seeker's allowance seeks to play its own part in doing that. It is a necessary innovation; I welcome it, and I believe that it will be very successful.