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Mrs. Taylor: The right hon. Lady has raised a number of points, and I shall try to answer them all. I am glad that she welcomes the defence debate. Some of her hon. Friends have been asking for such a debate for some time.
On the question of statutory instruments, the right hon. Lady will know that discussion always continues through the usual channels, and that it is on that basis that we decide where matters should be debated. I accept her request for a foreign affairs debate as legitimate, and I hope that we shall be able to find some time for some more general debates on foreign affairs in the not too distant future, although, as she acknowledges, we have some legislation in the pipeline that we have to deal with.
As for health issues, the right hon. Lady--I suppose that I should be grateful to her--reminded the House that there had been eight statements. That proves the willingness of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health to find a great deal of time to be accountable to the House.
The right hon. Lady asked for a debate in Government time. I have to remind her of the point that I made a few weeks ago: in the whole of the five years of the previous Parliament, the Conservative Government had only one health debate in Government time. We might be able to manage that. What happened then was that, when we wanted a health debate, we had one in Opposition time. That is one reason why we have Opposition days: they allow the Opposition to choose the debate.
On national insurance charges, it is true that amendments have been made to the Social Security Bill in the Lords. Those amendments must be in order, or they would not be debatable there. Those matters can, of course, be debated in this Chamber when the Bill comes back from the Lords for consideration of Lords amendments.
On the issue of the Prime Minister's official spokesman, I do not think that there is much need to add to what my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister said yesterday, except to welcome the right hon. Lady's enthusiasm for the gaiety of nations, as she called it. I am sure that the Press Gallery can and does have a great deal of entertainment making up names for people. I should point out that my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's official spokesman said earlier this week that he hoped that everyone had not had a humour bypass. Perhaps the right hon. Lady has taken that to heart.
As for the Scotland Bill, euthanasia and abortion were dealt with this week, and I have nothing to add to what was said.
Mr. Jim Marshall (Leicester, South):
Is my right hon. Friend aware of the great anger in Leicester arising from this year's local government revenue settlement, which has led to a reduction in services and a council tax increase of 25 per cent.? Against that backcloth, can she arrange an early debate in the House, so that we can try to influence the Government on the future of local government financing before they make any firm decisions?
Mrs. Taylor:
We had debates on the settlements for this year a couple of months ago. My hon. Friend is an experienced Member of Parliament, and I am sure that he will find opportunities to raise the matter, even though I cannot promise him the debate he wants.
Mr. Paul Tyler (North Cornwall):
We on the Liberal Democrat Benches would certainly support a debate on the future of local government finance, which would be of interest to all hon. Members on both sides of the House.
On the subject of statutory instruments, I draw the right hon. Lady's attention to early-day motion 1168.
[That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Council Tax Benefit (General) Amendment Regulations 1998 (S.I., 1998, No. 911), dated 30th March 1998, a copy of which was laid before this House on 30th March, be annulled.]
It deals with statutory instrument 911 on council tax benefit, and has already been endorsed by both the leadership of the Conservative party and my right hon. and hon. Friends. This is a subject that causes considerable concern to hon. Members on both sides of the House, so can she the right hon. Lady find time as soon as possible for a debate on that early-day motion?
The right hon. Lady chairs the Select Committee on the Modernisation of the House of Commons, and I know that she is using her best efforts to secure an early date for a debate on its recent reports. Will she redouble those efforts, because there is growing frustration--especially among more recent entrants into the House--at the lack of progress on the recommendations of that Committee? Can we have an early debate and some indication of the timetable for any necessary changes to our Standing Orders that may result?
Finally, last week, I put to the Leader of the House a question that I am afraid I made too specific: I asked whether she was able to give me any indication as to whether the rumours were true that business would be interrupted the following day by a statement on the future of the Rural Development Commission and the Countryside Commission. The right hon. Lady, quite rightly, said that there was no proposal to interrupt business. However, on Friday afternoon, a written answer was slipped out that dealt with precisely that matter.
That is an extremely important issue, and not only for the commissioners and all their staff who have served the nation well. The Rural Development Commission goes back to the days of Lloyd George, and the Countryside Commission has done a great job for the rural areas. They are important agencies, which have done a great job, so to slip out, at the end of Friday afternoon, an important
statement of that sort, with no opportunity for debate, is the worst possible example of the Government having learnt nothing from their predecessors. The previous Government used to do that, but we had hoped better of this Government.
Mrs. Taylor:
I have noted that the Liberal Democrats would also like a debate on local government finance. The hon. Gentleman mentioned the statutory instrument, which will obviously be discussed through the usual channels. I have to point out to the Liberal Democrats' spokesman that today is their Opposition day, and, had they wanted to debate local government finance, they could have chosen that topic for today's debate.
It is true that the Modernisation Committee has produced four reports. We have had one full debate on the subject, and I am hoping that we shall be able to have another. We have been able to make further progress this week: yesterday's Bill was debated under a programme motion, which is another step in the right direction.
The hon. Gentleman moved quickly from modernisation to Lloyd George--I am not sure what we should read into that. I am glad that he acknowledged that the reply I gave him last week was accurate. I do not think that the written question was slipped out in any way, and I am glad that I was able to help the hon. Gentleman to obtain a copy of it last Friday. It was not slipped out--indeed, I should not be at all surprised if there had been a press release accompanying it.
Mr. Dennis Skinner (Bolsover):
Is my right hon. Friend aware that it ill behoves the Tories to be rabbiting on about having a debate on the subject of the press secretary to the Prime Minister, given the role played by Bernard Ingham, who was press secretary to Tony Benn and then become a complete turncoat and joined Margaret Thatcher? He was responsible for sacking a Cabinet Minister, John Biffen, who at the time was doing a pretty reasonable job as Leader of the House. So I do not think we should take any lessons from the Tories about that.
As for the statement about knocking Ministers' heads together, let me say this to my right hon. Friend. When you decide to accept patronage, a ministerial car and some extra money, you leave the Back Benches, and you leave the freedom of being able to speak your mind as often as you would like to. Collective responsibility provides not only liberties but restrictions. If people want to open their mouth as often as I do, they should come and sit next to me.
Madam Speaker:
Order. I hope that, when the hon. Member for Bolsover (Mr. Skinner) opens his mouth, he keeps within the procedures of the House. I have not actually heard him ask a question about what he wants next week, and it is too late now.
Mrs. Taylor:
I think my hon. Friend was asking for a debate on the principle of collective responsibility. He outlined that principle so succinctly that there is no need for a debate.
Mrs. Caroline Spelman (Meriden):
I wonder whether the right hon. Lady is aware how fast the crisis in agriculture is growing. That was brought home to me when I heard that the Massey Ferguson factory just
Mrs. Taylor:
I do not believe that all the problems that the hon. Lady mentioned are the consequence of the strong pound. If she believes they are, she might seek to catch your eye during the debate on manufacturing industry, Madam Speaker, because it obviously has relevance to agriculture.
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