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buse of Commons
Friday 19 November 1993
19 NOVEMBER 1993
The House met at half-past Nine o'clock ULB 01116.
PRAYERS
[MADAM SPEAKER in the Chair]
PETITION
Nursery Education
Mr. Nigel Spearing (Newham, South): I beg leave to present a petition on national nursery education. The petition was initiated by three Newham parents---Sylvia Pack, Terence Burns and Alan Clark-and has been supported by 106,676 citizens of the United Kingdom, 16,000 of whom come from Scotland. It is supported by prominent Members of all three major parties on both sides of the House, by the national campaign for nursery education, the campaign for state education, the national child care campaign and the Fawcett Society. The petition reads:
Whereas there is a widespread acceptance of the value of early learning for all children under five, particularly through proven methods of Nursery Education, as a means of improving social and educational standards; that nevertheless there is a widespread national concern at the shortage of resources available for this public provision, consequent upon recent changes in the funding of national education, which is now reducing the quality range and effect of this vital service;
That there is now urgent necessity for a statutory duty to be laid upon all Local Education Authorities to provide sufficient places to meet the demand for nursery education, which by using resources at the most critical and cost-effective time can further the objective of Her Majesty's Government to provide all the nation's children with a firm basis for later educational success and social responsibility;
Wherefore your petitioners pray that your Honourable House urge Her Majesty's Government to ensure that all necessary resources are made available to education authorities to enable the Government and your Honourable House to discharge their responsibilities to both parents and children of today, and to the citizens of tomorrow. To lie upon the Table.
BILL PRESENTED
SUNDAY TRADING
Mr. Secretary Howard, supported by the Prime Minister, Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. Secretary Gummer, Mr. Secretary Hunt and Mr. Peter Lloyd, presented a Bill to reform the law of England and Wales relating to Sunday trading; to make provision as to the rights of shop workers under the law of England and Wales in relation to Sunday working; and for connected purposes: And the same was read the First time; and ordered to be read a Second time on Monday next and to be printed. [Bill 1.]
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Foreign Affairs and Defence
Orders of the Day
Debate on the Address
[SBOOND DAY]
109
Relsw.
Parl.
Gole
Order read for resuming adjourned debate on Question. /20 That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, as /21
follows:-
Most Gracious Sovereign,
We, Your Majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects, the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament assembled, beg leave to offer our humble thanks to Your Majesty for the Gracious Speech which Your Majesty has addressed to both Houses of Parliament-[Sir Geoffrey Johnson Smith. ]
Foreign Affairs and Defence
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. Douglas Hurd): 1 apologise to the House because I have to leave before the debate concludes as I have commitments in the north that would be hard to break.
In following the international news, all right hon. and hon. Members face the difficulty that the kaleidoscope shifts week by week and we are asked to make decisions and, in some cases, comment on each fresh turn of events in a disordered world. Governments in particular are asked daily to condemn actions or promise remedies and are themselves condemned if they hold back for a day or two.
Compared to other countries, because of our parliamentary system, British Ministers must declare their hands almost daily and are thus almost more exposed than most. Words come back to haunt us if we cannot live up to the promise that they contain. We must be able to deliver what we undertake and not to undertake what we cannot deliver. On the Conservative Benches, we have tried to follow that principle. It produces some modest and hard-fought advances and it means that we try to avoid posturing and rhetoric. It means that we are cautious in setting our hand to any enterprise, but, when we do so, we seek to carry it forward with full energy with our friends and allies. I shall give a range of examples across the world. I am sure that the right hon. Member for Copeland (Dr. Cunningham) would chide me for leaving out important issues, although he would probably chide me anyway. I shall do my best to cover matters that are of interest to the House.
I turn first to the middle east. We have worked quietly for many years for dialogue in the middle east, especially between Israel and her neighbours. The Americans have worked strenuously in recent times. When, earlier this year, the Israelis and the Palestinians achieved their breakthrough in negotiations, it was certainly a blow against pessimism everywhere. That breakthrough must now be followed through.
There is progress in the discussions between Israel and Jordan. However, the peace will not be complete and will not last without a successful outcome to all the strands of negotiation, including those with Syria and with Lebanon. I believe that the parties want to reach a settlement. It is clear that delay is damaging, and I hope that the opportunities will be seized before they drain away.
In recent years, Britain's role has deliberately been patient and supportive. We stood back once we were
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