2.65
Every and Prices and
[LORDS]
The E Halsbury.] home all the way from St. Andrews' to tell us about Dis preoccupation with the hotolysis of water which, in my view, is the best bet for the utilisation of solar exergy one day in the future.
In thanking those who have come a long distance I look at the noble Viscount, Lord Thurso, who has come farther than anybody else and thank him for the support he has given me in his remarks on atomic power. The noble Lord, Lord Zuckerman, gave us his characteristic blend of wide-ranging knowledge and experience and blunt common sense; and I was grateful for his comments on some of the environmental problems. The noble Earl, Lord Lauderdale, speaks with authority based on many years of service to this House in Committees and constant attention to our energy affairs on a day- to-day basis. He is a master of detail; he has put it at our service this afternoon, and I am grateful correspondingly.
I was glad at having avoided a demarca- tion dispute with my noble friend Lord Robbins on the subject of economics and that I managed to get away with it without him finding anything on which he was in disagreement with me. I say I am glad because, although I never had the privilege of attending his lectures, I regard myself as an honorary pupil of his through close study of his very interesting writings. The noble Lord, Lord Sherfield, combines dual qualifications in the diplomatic field and in the nuclear power field and I am sure that he would be ideal adviser to monitor what is going on in the mind of President Carter.
The noble Viscount, Lord Sidmouth, does not speak very often in this House and I wish that he spoke more.
He gave an example of what careful housekeeping can do. Finally, the noble Lord, Lord Thomas, was kind enough to refer to the importance of the diesel. This is a great British achievement. It is not generally known that this country used to (and for all I know still does) export more diesels than the USA makes. That was the gift of differential taxation at one time. The noble Viscount, Lord Hanworth, enuncia- ted a principle with which I am in agree- ment; namely, that we ought never to use gas where we can use oil; we ought never to use oil where we can use coal; and we ought never to use coal where we
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266
can use nuclear power or anything wherever we can use revenue resources, provided we can manage to do it.
I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Strathcona and Mount Royal, for tackling the price structure problem, which is not the most glamorous part of one's home- work but it is fundamental. Clearly the present price structure is unstable and can only lead to rises. Finally, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Strabolgi, for his attention to the debate and for his careful answers to as many of the points as he could cope with in the time available. I hope that he will report to his right honourable friend and will assure him of the high quality of the debate which was entirely non-partisan in quality and of the singular unanimity on the question of priorities demonstrated by everybody who took part in it. I beg leave to withdraw the Motion standing in my
name.
Motion for Papers, by leave, withdrawn.
HONG KONG: ARREST OF PETITIONERS
7.20 p.m.
Lord BROCKWAY rose to ask Her
Majesty's Government whether they will inquire into the circumstances under which 76 persons travelling in coaches to present a petition to the Governor were arrested in Hong Kong on 7th January, 1979, and into the conditions of the boat- men and their families who for seven years have been denied houses at Yaumoti. The noble Lord said: My Lords, I am raising this issue in an Unstarred Question because I felt that on 12th February, when I put a Starred Question, the exchanges between a ques-
tioner and the Front Bench were inadequate to clarify these issues at depth. The only other Back-Bencher who inter- Hong Kong. I want wholeheartedly to vened paid a tribute to the Governor of
endorse that tribute. In the unique cir- cumstances of Hong Kong the endeavours which he has made for the rehousing of the people and his activities in public work construction should receive the recog- nition of all Members of the House. About that there is no difference at all.
These boatmen used to be fishermen from the mainland of Hong Kong.
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