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Business of the House
21 OCTOBER 1982
increase, will the Leader of the House arrange for a debate on the prayer on that matter tabled by my right hon. and hon. Friends?
Will the right hon. Gentleman also make arrangements for the bound copies of Hansard to be supplied more regularly to the Prime Minister so that she can see that my party consistently opposed the closed shop provisions in Labour Government legislation and attempted to persuade the Conservative Party to do so?
Mr. Biffen: I shall certainly look into the first point raised by the hon. Gentleman, but I cannot give such an undertaking for next week. On the second point, I am certain that the hon. Gentleman, as a political advocate, does not have to rely on bound copies of Hansard to secure his point of view.
Mr. Dafydd Wigley (Caernarvon): In view of the controversy in Wales surrounding the possibility of health expenditure cuts, especially following yesterday's announcement by South Glamorgan area health authority, and in view of early-day motion No. 703 standing in the names of myself and of all four Opposition parties in Wales-
[That this House condemns the proposals outlined in the Welsh Office paper entitled 'Health Service Resources in Wales, 1983-84', dated 23rd August 1982, which implies cuts in health authority expenditure in Wales of £56 million; notes that the Welsh Health Authorities Chairmen Meeting, held on 24th September at Brecon, has reacted strongly against these proposed cuts, and has indicated that they would imply the closure of hospitals at such speed as would make the normal consultation procedure impractical, would dramatically increase waiting lists for in-hospital treatment, and would require the shedding of staff to an extent that would cause the deterioration of the health service in Wales; furthermore, this House expresses grave doubts as to whether the area health authorities in Wales will be able to meet their statutory duties if such cuts are imposed upon them or to limit the effects of the cuts to non-priority areas; and concludes that the cuts in area health spending outlined in this document are unacceptable to the people of Wales and instructs the Secretary of State for Wales to issue a clear and unequivocal withdrawal of these proposals.]— will the Leader of the House find time for a statement to be made next week by the Secretary of State for Wales on the status of the document "Health Service Resources in Wales, 1983-84" that the Welsh Office produced on 23 August?
Mr. Biffen: I shall draw that point to the attention of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.
Sir Paul Bryan (Howden): does my right hon. Friend recall early-day motion No. 531, signed by 150 hon. Members?
[That this House welcomes the report of the Overseas Student Trust as a basis for an enduring policy for overseas students' fees; recognises its recommendations as a responsible balance between British interests and obligations, and the needs of overseas students; urges Her Majesty's Government to accept in particular the recommendation that students from British dependent territories should pay the home level of fees thus removing the anomaly by which a student from, for example, Hong Kong or the Falkland Islands, can be asked to pay up to
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12 times as much for a course as a student from the European Economic Community; and supports the proposal that concessionary levels of fees should be considered for Cyprus.]
When will there be an opportunity to discuss this matter now that four months have elapsed since the report was made?
Mr. Biffen: I am sure that my hon. Friend, with all his skill and ingenuity, will be able to raise this subject in the debates on the Queen's Speech which will clearly include a range of topics such as this.
Mr. Andrew Faulds (Warley, East): Since the Prime Minister's visit to Hong Kong caused dismay in the colony and damaged our relations with China, is it not incumbent on her to come to the House to make a statement and to answer questions on that subject?
Mr. Biffen: As I do not accept the premise, I do not accept the conclusion.
Mr. John G. Blackburn (Dudley, West): Will my right hon. Friend give serious consideration to whether there should be a statement or possibly a full debate on the expenditure of over £81 million of public money on the De Lorean car company, especially as its collapse has had such an impact on suppliers in the West Midlands and two companies in my constituency?
Mr. Biffen: I am sure that my hon. Friend will join me in welcoming the news that the Public Accounts Committee is to examine this matter. I shall, of course, draw the attention of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to the point that my hon. Friend makes.
Mr. George Foulkes (South Ayrshire): Will the Leader of the House say when the Government's response to the recommendations contained in the Shackleton report will be published? Will the House have the opportunity to discuss the report and the Government's response?
Mr. Biffen: No. I shall, however, consider the point that the hon. Gentleman makes. I shall be in communication with him.
Mr. Kenneth Lewis (Rutland and Stamford): Does my right hon. Friend intend to allow the press to have a copy of the Queen's Speech in advance of its delivery with a "Stop" notice on it? If so, will he let me have a copy if I promise not to leak it?
Mr. Biffen: In the real world, I have a much more passive role in all these matters than my hon. Friend
supposes.
Mr. A. E. P. Duffy (Sheffield, Attercliffe): Will the right hon. Gentleman give serious consideration to the request by my right hon. Friend the Leader of the Opposition for a debate on steel next week? It is not only a question of the EEC agreement concealing certain misunderstandings and even incipient threats to British steel from across the Atlantic. The chairman of British Steel is also expected to announce, long before the Queen's Speech and the debate on it, the conclusions of his current review. The chairman is not merely wrestling with demand, as the Prime Minister seems to think, or even the future configuration of British Steel; he is considering whether there will be a steel industry at all.
Mr. Biffen: The hon. Gentleman speaks on this topic with all the authority of an hon. Member representing a
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