§ Q12. Mrs. Cheryl Gillan (Chesham and Amersham)Why should a Member of the House of Commons who has a Scottish seat and represents some 52,000 people be paid the same as a Member of this House who has an English seat and represents some 100,000, given that after 1 July, when the Scottish Parliament starts to act, the Member with a Scottish seat will have only half a job? Is that the Prime Minister's idea of fairness at work?
§ The Prime MinisterI do not agree with what the hon. Lady says. I think that it would be wrong to have two classes of Member of Parliament. When Stormont was sitting in the 1960s and before, we had precisely the same arrangement in relation to Northern Ireland. The argument used by a then Conservative Prime Minister is the argument that I use now: it is in the interests of the United Kingdom that we have devolution, it is fair that we have devolution, and to have two classes of Members of Parliament would be wrong.
§ Mr. Peter Bradley (The Wrekin)Given the Government's pledge in advance of the election to reduce class sizes for every five, six and seven-year-old in the country, will my right hon. Friend join me in congratulating Telford and Wrekin council and Shropshire county council, which have delivered on that pledge to infants in my constituency—not on schedule, not one year ahead of schedule, but, because of Government funding, two whole years ahead of schedule?
§ The Prime MinisterThe fact that more than 130,000 five, six and seven-year-olds are now in classes of under 30 who would not be otherwise, and the fact that the size of primary school classes is falling for the first time, underscore this Government's commitment to education. Once again, every single one of those measures has been opposed by the Conservative party.
§ Q13. Mr. Tim Boswell (Daventry)Is it all right to lift the beef-on-the-bone ban in one part of the United Kingdom, but not in another?
§ The Prime MinisterThat, of course, is what devolution provides for. I hope that that was a statement of support from the hon. Gentleman.
1063 We introduced the ban because of the advice of the Chief Medical Officer. The reason why the issue of any ban on British beef has arisen is, of course, BSE—and the hon. Gentleman will know who was responsible for 1064 introducing BSE. That is, I am afraid, an outstanding example of the rare combination of incompetence and financial profligacy that was the true legacy of the last Conservative Government.