HL Deb 30 March 1971 vol 316 cc1217-20

2.46 p.m.

LORD BESWICK

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

[The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assurances were given to Mr. Henry Ford II on behalf of Her Majesty's Government about the future of industrial relations and economic activity in the United Kingdom.]

THE MINISTER WITHOUT PORTFOLIO (LORD DRUMALBYN)

My Lords, no assurances were given to Mr. Henry Ford by Her Majesty's Government, and none was asked for.

LORD BESWICK

My Lords, I am much obliged for that non-information, and I am sorry that Her Majesty's Government were not more confident about the future of the country. Could the noble Lord say whether they called Mr. Ford's attention to the fact that in the five years up to the time that the present Administration took over, the number of days lost per thousand workers in this country was rather less than a quarter in comparison with those lost in the United States of America?

LORD DRUMALBYN

My Lords, I am sure that the House is grateful for that piece of information, but I think it would be qui4e wrong for me to divulge what was said at what was, after all, a private lunch party.

LORD BLYTON

My Lords, does not the noble Lord think that it was a bit "cheeky" for Mr. Henry Ford to come here and talk about labour relations?

LORD DRUMALBYN

My Lords, I think that Mr. Henry Ford is welcome here, and has every right to come here by reason of his considerable investment in this country and the interest which he has always taken in this country.

LORD BLYTON

My Lords, I agree, but was it not "cheek" to lecture us on labour relations when they are worse, in America?

LORD DRUMALBYN

My Lords, it is the obvious purpose of anyone who owns a product, or runs an industry which has a product of world-wide repute, to take into account what are the comparative conditions in different countries. He must do this in order to meet his commitments.

LORD GARNSWORTHY

My Lords, in view of the kind of derogatory remarks he made, was it fitting that he should have been given such generous hospitality, and at such a level?

LORD DRUMALBYN

My Lords, I think one must recognise that Mr. Ford has his own problems and is very well able to appreciate those problems, and it would not be in his interest to make derogatory remarks that had not some justification for them.

VISCOUNT HANWORTH

My Lords, would the Minister agree that there is still such a thing as free speech in this country? People are entitled to their opinions, and that is particularly so when they are not protected, as they are in the House of Lords, from making any statement which they wish to.

VISCOUNT MASSEREENE AND FERRARD

My Lords, would not my noble friend agree that the trouble at Ford's has been due, to a certain extent, to weak management, in so far as Ford's have promoted militant Communist shop stewards in the hope of appeasing them, when they should have sacked them? Ford's have been too easy-going.

LORD DRUMALBYN

My Lords, Mr. Henry Ford conducted a Press conference of his own, and he made it quite clear that the faults were not all on one side.

LORD BESWICK

My Lords, may I ask the noble Lord whether he is aware that, for my part, I welcome Mr. Ford's appearance in this country and I welcome his inquiries? What I am anxious about is that he gets a fair presentation of the facts, and not simply a Conservative presentation.

LORD DRUMALBYN

My Lords, I do not think that anyone on this side of the House, and not many people on the other side of the House, would accept that as a statement of fact. Mr. Ford indicated that he was drying to reach a solution which would be favourable to this country and that he was prepared to go on investing in this country, but he did draw attention to the fact that the greatest handicap in his industry in this country was a perpetual interruption of production through wildcat strikes.

VISCOUNT ADDISON

My Lords, is the noble Lord aware that Mr. Henry Ford has made a great deal more money out of this country than his company have ever put into it?

THE EARL OF ARRAN

My Lords, would not Her Majesty's Government agree that this country is not in need of advice from foreign industrialists on how to run our industrial affairs, and that we are not yet entirely subservient to the United States?

LORD DRUMALBYN

My Lords, I am sure that Mr. Henry Ford was concerned only with the running of his own concerns, his own factories.

VISCOUNT ST. DAVIDS

My Lords, was there not an easy way in which Her Majesty's Government could make quite sure that Mr. Ford's very valuable product would continue to be manufactured at a profit in this country? Since Her Majesty's Government now own, or are about to own, part of the car industry, would it not be possible to give him, free of charge, part of that industry, just as they are doing in the air industry?

LORD DRUMALBYN

My Lords, I think that is quite a different question, if I may say so.