asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will take further measures to control the number of firearms in Northern Ireland.

No, Sir. I am satisfied that adequate control is being exercised under the existing law by the Chief Constable.

Is there not something wrong when in Northern Ireland—the most violent part of the United Kingdom—the number of firearm certificates per head of population is 1 in 18, while the ratio in England is 1 to 54, in Scotland, 1 o 42 and in Wales 1 to 32? Is it not time that the Government took steps to stop licensed gunmen taking part in Carson-type intimidation exercises led by the dog-collared hooligan, the hon. Member for Antrim, North (Rev. Ian Paisley)?

Order. We can refer to one another in more polite terms.

The hon. Gentleman's statistics are misleading. The reason for the high ratio of firearms or gun certificates per head of population in Northern Ireland is due almost exclusively to the fact that in Northern Ireland, unlike other parts of the United Kingdom, air weapons need a firearms certificate. In practice, licensed firearms are rarely used in the commission of crime.

Is it not correct to say that most of the 2,300 people murdered by the Provisional IRA in Northern Ireland were murdered with illegally held guns or explosives, and that firearms are needed by individuals for their own defence?

I am happy to confirm the hon. Gentleman's fact and observation.

Will the Minister confirm that, rather than a reduction, there should be an increase in the number of legally held weapons because many members of the part-time security forces are under threat from terrorists and require personal weapons for their own protection?

I cannot confirm such a sweeping generalisation, but members of the security forces have ready access to personal protection weapons on application, either to the Chief Constable or to the relevant Army commander in the case of people in the UDR.

As the vast majority of murders in Northern Ireland are carried out using illegally held weapons, what steps have the Government taken to stop weapons coming in from Communist countries?

We take every means to prevent the illegal import of any weapons.

Will the Minister review whether it is necessary to carry on licensing airguns, because they produce confusing statistics and the result is not always to the advantage of the Province? Will he also standardise the side arms that are issued to the security forces and make them all of the one calibre?

The hon. Gentleman's second question is a matter for more technical appraisal by the Chief Constable or by the Army personnel who are responsible for the issue of such arms. On the first point, I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer that I gave to the effect that the overwhelming majority of weapons are not used illegally. The Chief Constable has a power of revocation, so it is possible to withdraw an air rifle or an airgun if it is used improperly or illegally.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will introduce new proposals to strengthen the Union between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The strength of the Union is not in question. Both my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and I have repeatedly made it clear that Northern Ireland will remain part of the United Kingdom for as long as that is the wish of the majority of the people of Northern Ireland.

I wonder whether it would be helpful if we were to forget the qualification that my right hon. Friend has just made and if he were to make today a declaration in ringing tones, because he is confident that it will remain the wish of the people of Northern Ireland, that Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom and will always remain part of the United Kingdom. The people could then get on with enjoying being part of the United Kingdom rather than having the feeling about that there is everything to play for and that one day a British Government might get fed up with holding on to Northern Ireland, or the people of Northern Ireland might be pushed into removing themselves from the United Kingdom.

The Government's present stance is based on the principle of self-determination, which I think commands general acceptance in the House.

While the Secretary of State may not find it necessary to introduce legislation to give effect to the point made by the hon. Member for Northampton, North (Mr. Marlow), does he agree that it would strengthen the Union if he continued to use his endeavours to provide more efficient government at all levels in Northern Ireland, following the pattern in the rest of the United Kingdom? Does he also agree that the best way to strengthen the Union is to treat Northern Ireland on exactly the same basis as the rest of the United Kingdom?

I shall not comment on part of the hon. Gentleman's question, because it is dealt with in subsequent questions on the Order Paper. I hope that he is not suggesting that Northern Ireland should be treated as if it were Northamptonshire. If we did that, it would cause considerable offence to a substantial part of the population and would not entirely satisfy the other part.

While increased representation in the House, which we are waiting for, will strengthen the Union, will Ministers consider, in the advice that they may tender to the Crown, the increase of the representation of Northern Ireland in another place?

That is not a matter for me, but I note what my hon. Friend says and I will ensure that his comments are made known to my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister.

While the Secretary of State cannot agree to make the statement for which his hon. Friend the Member for Northampton, North (Mr. Marlow) asked, will he make a statement deploring the filthy murder of the poor mother who was doing her census duty? The whole House would support the right hon. Gentleman if he made such a statement.

I thought that that matter would come up on a later question. The hon. Gentleman will have noted that the Minister who was on duty in Northern Ireland that evening issued a statement utterly deploring that callous, cowardly murder.

Whatever steps the right hon. Gentleman is or is not taking to strengthen the Union, will he tell the House what is likely to happen as a result of the Anglo-Irish talks? Last week I met the Taoiseach and the Foreign Affairs Minister in Dublin, but it is unsatisfactory that I should have to trip off to Dublin to find out what is going on. Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the Opposition agree in principle with the talks, but lack of information to us does not help?

As I have often told the House, studies are going on between officials under the direction of my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach into ways of developing what they have discribed as the unique relationship between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland—a description with which I agree. Officials will be reporting to my right hon. Friend and to the Taoiseach who will meet again later this year. When action is contemplated as a result of any suggestions that come forward the House will be informed.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement about the operations of the security forces in the Province.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on frontier security.

Responsibility for all law enforcement operations, on the border or elsewhere, rests with the Royal Ulster Constabulary, which is supported as necessary by the Army. The primary aim of the Chief Constable, as of the Government, is to extend normal law and order conditions and normal policing to all parts of Northern Ireland. The RUC is continuing to make considerable progress in this direction, although, as the House knows, it is never my practice to discuss security force operations in detail.

My right hon. Friend is clearly aware of the widespread revulsion over the brutal murder of Mrs. Joanna Mathers, the census collector in Londonderry. In order to ensure that her courage and sacrifice are not in vain, will my right hon. Friend give an absolute assurance that those who have sought to destroy, or not fill in, their census forms will be prosecuted?

Anybody who breaks the law, whether by destroying census forms or by murdering a census enumerator, as happened in Londonderry two days ago, will be pursued with the utmost rigour by the RUC. The murder was a most despicable action by a man as yet undiscovered. I understand that the Provisional IRA has disclaimed responsibility, but the House will know that forensic tests have proved that the weapon has been used in more than one Provisional IRA punishment shooting.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the deployment of Army units in forward positions on the frontier has done a great deal to restore stability and confidence in that area and has led to the RUC and the UDR being free to concentrate on anti-terrorist activities elsewhere? Will the right hon. Gentleman ensure that that effective strategy is maintained?

The deployment of Army units is primarily a matter for the General Officer Commanding, who is paying particular attention to the border areas, because there is a greater need for Army units to be deployed there than elsewhere. I am glad to hear the hon. Gentleman say that that strategy if giving comfort to those who live in border areas. It is also reducing the opportunities for terrorists to go about their evil works and increasing the chances of their being caught.

If the IRA terrorist who foully murdered Mrs. Joanna Mathers has escaped, as is feared, across the border into the Irish Republic, he will be able to claim before the Eire courts that his offence was a political one and thereby escape extradition and the full rigours of justice. Will the right hon. Gentleman press the Eire Government to take action to end that disgraceful situation?

The hon. Gentleman's remarks are hypothetical, but I take the point about extradition. He will know that the Government have often made clear, and will do so again, that we regard extradition as the most effective way of bringing fugitive terrorists to justice.

Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that if the RUC is to be successful it must be afforded every reasonable facility to enable it to pursue terrorists? Is it not disgraceful that a young policeman died in my constituency last week because the RUC station at Bessbrook did not have sufficient car parking facilities'? The policeman had to park his car beyond the security surveillance and consequently terrorists were able to plant an anti-personnel device which blew him into three or four pieces.

Obviously the RUC is anxious to take every possible step to protect, for example, the vehicles of its members and that was the case as regards the police constable whose car was destroyed by a bomb a little while ago. It is not always possible to give total protection to everybody and it is necessary to rely on the eternal vigilance of individuals.

rose—

Order. I have just learnt that the lady concerned was a constituent of the hon. Member for Londonderry (Mr. Ross).

No, Mr. Speaker, she was not a constituent of mine.

Is it not a fact that not only the Irish Government, but the United States Government, refuse to extradite known IRA people? Is it not also a fact that a person is pleading before the American courts that he was defending the Catholic population in Northern Ireland in 1978 when he committed firearms offences? Will the right hon. Gentleman take it from me that throughout the past 10 or 12 years of bloodthirsty murder in Northern Ireland the IRA has never defended the Catholic population in Northern Ireland?

I shall take that from the hon. Gentleman, who knows as well as any of us about the IRA's activities. It remains Her Majesty's Government's view that extradition, as it is practised in Britain, is the best way of bringing to justice fugitive terrorists and fugitive criminals of all sorts. We wish that every other country would do as we do.

Is the Secretary of State aware that it is the Opposition's view that the voters in Fermanagh and South Tyrone have a unique opportunity today to denounce the men of violence? Does he recognise that it is our view that a vote for Mr. Sands is a vote of approval for the perpetrators of the La Mon massacre, the murder of Lord Mountbatten at Warrenpoint and all the other senseless murders that have taken place in Northern Ireland over the years, including the latest brutal and inhuman killing of Mrs. Mathers, the census enumerator? We sincerely hope that those in Fermanagh and South Tyrone who attend the election today will take that attitude into the polling booth with them.

I am glad to hear the right hon. Gentleman's point of view while speaking on behalf of the Opposition. I do not believe that the electors of Fermanagh and South Tyrone need any guidance from me about the clear choice that is before them.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are the latest developments in the negotiations for the supply of natural gas to Northern Ireland from the Republic of Ireland.

The possibility of supplying natural gas from the Kinsale field to Northern Ireland is being carefully evaluated in the light of information recently provided by the Department of Energy in Dublin and other considerations.

In view of the possibility of gas being discovered in both Counties Fermanagh and Tyrone, does the Minister agree that it is foolish to close down the gas installations in Northern Ireland? Will he defer—to use a famous phrase—this final solution of the gas problem until we ascertain whether there is a prospect of gas being discovered and used for the people of Northern Ireland?

The finding of commercial quantities of natural gas in Counties Fermanagh and Tyrone is still highly problematical and a long time scale is involved, as is the case with the possibility of a supply from the Republic. The Government's policy on the rundown of the town gas industry remains what it was. We believe that planning must go ahead. I hope to be able to make a more positive statement within a very few weeks.

Will the Minister take the opportunity not only to explore the potential for the supply of natural gas from Southern Ireland but to ascertain whether a feasibility study would reveal some potential for the supply of natural gas from the North Sea, the Irish Sea or from the coast of Scotland? Does he agree that, at the end of the day, a dependency on one form of energy is not necessarily an advantage?

Other things being equal, I agree with the last part of the hon. Gentleman's supplementary question. We have two licences for exploration, onshore and offshore, in the Province. The Government have made their position clear about any connection with Scotland. There is no change of view on that score.

My hon. Friend has stated that the gas link between the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland is under consideration. Is he still taking seriously the possibility of regenerating Northern Ireland employment prospects by continuing to consider either the conversion of the Kilroot power station to coal or the construction of a new coal-fired power station in Northern Ireland, so that, if a gas link is possible between the South and the North, there might equally be an energy link involving electricity generation from the North to the South, thereby providing many jobs in Northern Ireland?

The capacity for electricity generation in Northern Ireland is already in excess of demand, taking into account the first phase of Kilroot. Therefore, I see no economic sense in increasing that capacity. Conversion is under consideration but large capital costs are involved.

In the light of Ulster's experience with electricity connection with the Republic, will the Minister bear in mind that a gas link would be vulnerable to interruption and that natural gas could be relied upon as a basis of industry in Northern Ireland only if there were a supply, as there should be, from the rest of the United Kingdom?

That is one of the considerations involved in energy supply from the Republic. We hope that the security situation will have so improved in the coming years that that consideration can be put aside.

Will the Minister reconsider the rundown of the existing gas plants in Northern Ireland until final decisions have been made on whether there is an availability of natural gas? Surely that policy would implement the Prime Minister's promise to level out energy prices within Northern Ireland, when there is surplus coal in the rest of the United Kingdom.

The hon. Gentleman must recognise that a £10 million subsidy is being paid per annum, which is holding down prices to half of what they should be in economic terms. Secondly, it is most probable that a large part of the distributive network will have to be replaced with a new pipe. We may be talking about almost a different type of fuel.

As energy supply is one of the subjects under consideration by the joint study groups, will the Minister inform the House of the status that the groups findings will have and when they are likely to be reported? Will copies of their findings be available in the Library to hon. Members? Is the hon. Gentleman able to give us any information about the findings of the study groups?

I take it that the right hon. Gentleman is referring to the study groups of the United Kingdom and the Republic. If these issues are discussed, we shall determine whether it is appropriate to make the discussions public. The House should know that the present discussions are between Northern Ireland and Dublin direct. My officials have been in contact with officials in the Department of Energy in Dublin and, as necessary, there will be ministerial contact.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cars have been sold, at the latest convenient date, by De Lorean cars; and what is the total of public funds provided as at that date.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the progress of the De Lorean Car Co. Ltd.

Employment at the company currently stands at about 1,300 and further recruitment is expected to raise this figure to 1,400 by mid-1981. I understand that no cars have been sold to date; 15 cars have already been despatched to America, and the first bulk shipment is now expected to take place at the end of next week. At 31 March 1981, the total amount of selective industrial assistance paid by the Department of Commerce to De Lorean Motor Cars Ltd. was £47·7 million including £20·7 million of repayable loans and, in addition, the Northern Ireland Development Agency has subscribed £17·8 million for redeemable participating preference shares in the company.

As my hon. Friend was a spectator at the demise of MG, which could have been saved by the taxpayer with an investment of £20 million, will he say when the taxpayer will see a return on his investment in De Lorean?

Do not be greedy.

The taxpayer will start to see a return on his money very shortly after the first shipment leaves Belfast docks.

We welcome the jobs that the company has provided but will the hon. Gentleman explain the protection that the taxpayer has for this £70 million-plus investment? When negotiating the recent loan and guarantee, why did not he use his power to provide some shareholding to reverse the 90 votes per share that currently are vested in the De Lorean company, which is incorporated in America, as opposed to the one vote per share for the 17 million shares of the Northern Ireland Development Agency? Is not it true that the car is not owned by the taxpayer? Should not the taxpayer have greater protection?

The hon. Member knows that it was his Government who drew up the arrangements for the deal, including leaving the Northern Ireland Development Agency with the minority of voting shares. It was not appropriate, on the occasion of renegotiating a loan, to change that position.

Will my hon. Friend tell the House whether the plant is still turning out 20 to 25 cars a day, as he reported the last time he came before the House? Is he aware that some of the suppliers to De Lorean appear to be encountering some difficulty in getting their bills paid?

The commercial relationship between De Lorean and its suppliers is not a matter for me. I am informed that this week the daily production of first-quality cars will be between 15 and 20.

Does not the Minister accept that with the first consignment of cars already at Belfast docks and with a work force of 1,300, as he stated, De Lorean has already justified the involvement of successive Governments in its enterprise? Far from apologising, will not he join me in congratulating that company on its success and by doing so perhaps silence some of the critics in the House?

The company's success in reaching that position after two-and-a-half years is generally recognised by those who understand something about motor car production. The daily production of cars of 15 to 20 is about a quarter of what the company aims to achieve when the car is in maximum production. Therefore, I believe that the company has not done a bad job in the circumstances. I am happy to congratulate the management on the position that it has reached, but, equally, I look forward to the time when the plant is profitable and when the taxpayers' investment has been paid back.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland why he authorised his Department to disclose now his intention to recommence talks on devolution in the summer.

No such sequence of events took place. However, I am happy to confirm that I remain ready to talk about political development in Northern Ireland as soon as the time is right.

Will the right hon. Gentleman keep a closer watch on certain officials in his Department who make it their business to communicate to the media indications of intentions and policies which are not necessarily his or the Government's? In that connection, will he keep a special eye on Mr. Christopher Thomas, whom those of us who are in the game have come to know as the "enemy wireless"?

I do not think that the right hon. Gentleman listened to my answer, or perhaps I did not speak loudly enough. He asked me why I authorised my Department to disclose something, and I said that no such sequence of events took place. It did not take place.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the Ulster people are anxious to have a Select Committee that would sit at Stormont in Northern Ireland and debate matters such as unemployment, housing and health? Will the right hon. Gentleman agree to the establishment of such a Select Committee?

The hon. Gentleman is in a slight state of confusion. Select Committees do not debate such matters. They inquire. If he is talking about a Northern Ireland Committee, that already exists.

Will the Secretary of State confirm that it is still his intention and No. 1 priority to bring together the parties in Northern Ireland with the intention of creating a power-sharing executive, as we have had in the past?

I have made it clear on many occasions that the Government seek a way forward that will be acceptable across both communities in Northern Ireland. As the hon. Gentleman knows, one of our difficulties last year was that, while he and his friends were insisting on power-sharing, that was not acceptable to the other section of the community. We still seek a way forward that is acceptable across the community.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he next expects to meet the chairman of the Social Security Advisory Committee to discuss the implications of the Social Security Bill for Northern Ireland.

I have already had two meetings in Northern Ireland with the chairman of the Social Security Advisory Committee, when we discussed social security policy for Northern Ireland. I hope to meet him again during his next visit to Northern Ireland in October of this year.

Does the Minister agree that the effects of the Social Security Bill now going through Parliament will be to worsen an already difficult situation of deprivation, unemployment and hardship in Northern Ireland? Does he further agree that any worsening of the position will not help the general situation? When he comes to the House on Report and Third Reading, what steps will he have it in mind to take to try to alleviate some of the hardship that the Bill will cause in Northern Ireland?

I do not agree that that will be the effect. The Government are doing everything that they can to maintain a high level of social spending in the Province. The Social Security Bill will not have the effects suggested by the hon. Gentleman. No doubt he will make those points on Report, or on Third Reading if he is able to catch your eye, Mr. Speaker.

Will the Minister, through me, answer the important question by the chairman? Why was the special heating allowance continued in Northern Ireland in respect of supplementary benefit and family income supplement, bearing in mind the high energy costs and low incomes in the Province?

The special provisions were discontinued because of the economic situation. It will not have escaped the attention of the hon. Gentleman that my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, in her recent visit to the Province, made the welcome announcement about bringing domestic electricity tariffs more closely into line with those on this side of the water. He will also realise its general beneficial effect on people who are on or near the poverty line on a continuing basis.

Does the Minister not accept that Northern Ireland is the poor relation of the United Kingdom? What positive steps is he taking to improve the level of benefits, instead of finding ways of keeping them down? Why does he have to wait until October before he meets the chairman again?

I refute the suggestion of the hon. Gentleman, who should know better from his experience in the Province, that we are trying to keep down the level of social security payments there. That is not correct.

The Minister is trying to reduce them.

The Province benefits greatly from the fact that the social security mechanism is linked in parity terms with the mainland. That is an advantage for the Province, not a disadvantage.

Utter rubbish.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in considering proposals for the better government of the Province.

As I told the House in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Skipton (Mr. Watson) on 19 March, I have decided to make the machinery of government in Northern Ireland more efficient and accountable to my direction and control, and to merge the control functions of the Northern Ireland Departments of Finance and of the Civil Service. Consideration of the best way of achieving this merger is due to be completed very soon. An important part of our purpose is to enable the Administration to deal more effectively and vigorously with economic development and social affairs in Northern Ireland. I hope to be able to make further proposals to the House during the summer.

As about half the Northern Ireland Roman Catholics now support the Union, but there is disagreement on forms of devolution, should we not decide that the improvement of administration and local government in the Province should rest upon the supremacy of one Parliament zealous for equal rights under the Crown?

Yes, Sir, it does, and it will continue to do so. On the other hand, the parties to whom my hon. Friend referred have all stated that they want greater democratic control to be in the hands of the people elected in the Province. I agree with them. That is what the Government will continue to seek to do, but until we can find a way forward it is our business to seek to make the machinery of government in Northern Ireland as efficient as we can.

Will the Secretary of State reconsider his decision to merge the Department of the Civil Service and the Department of Finance, because there will not necessarily be any advantage if that is done? At the end of the day, there are problems of enrolment into the Civil Service that cannot be dealt with through the Department of Finance. I urge the Secretary of State to reconsider his decision.

No, Sir, I do not propose to reconsider my decision. I arrived at it after careful consideration. With a total of about 32,000 people, there is no need for a separate Department of the Civil Service.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he intends to institute discussions with Northern Ireland political parties with a view to proposing a devolved system of government.

I frequently meet representatives of the political parties and discuss political matters with them, but, as I told the House on 12 March, I do not believe that this is an appropriate moment for any major new move on the political front.

As there has been an absence of devolved government in Northern Ireland for many years, is it not time that we started implementing our manifesto commitment?

I hope that my hon. Friend will refresh his memory about our manifesto commitment. I have it here. We are seeking a way forward that commands the support not only of the people of Northern Ireland, but of the House. Although we have not so far found it, I hope that we shall do so. In the meantime, I refer my hon. Friend to the answer that I have just given to my hon. Friend the Member for Epping Forest (Mr. Biggs-Davison).

Does the Secretary of State accept that, although there may be considerable doubt in Northern Ireland about whether the vast majority of Roman Catholics support the Union, we can be sure that they are opposed to the IRA and to violence? Is he aware that one way to ensure that Roman Catholics are totally opposed to the Union is to restore power to local government in the way that it was constituted before the reformation in 1973, which would cause massive political conflict?

That is a fact that I am taking into account in my consideration of how we can move forward politically in the Province.

Can the Secretary of State assure us that the machinery of government in Northern Ireland is not being discussed by the Anglo-Eire study group and that the United Kingdom is not engaging in horse trading to exchange Ulster's future for Eire becoming part of NATO and Dublin becoming a nuclear zone?

I give the hon. Gentleman both those assurances. The internal affairs of Northern Ireland are not being discussed in Dublin. We do not wish to raise defence matters and NATO membership bilaterally with Dublin, and they have not been mentioned.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what further proposals he has to reduce the level of unemployment in Northern Ireland.

A number of measures have already been taken to alleviate unemployment in Northern Ireland. I shall continue to pursue the Government's policy of promoting industrial development in the Province with my customary vigour.

Will the Minister confirm that in some towns and areas of Northern Ireland the number of men unemployed is almost half the total? Unemployment is now so high that it is damaging the social fabric of many communities and his proposals are so feeble as to be contemptuous of a real social problem.

Unemployment in the Province is nearly twice as high as in Great Britain, which is why we have taken special measures in the Province to increase the youth opportunities programme and the short-term working compensation scheme, and to introduce a new scheme for the adult unemployed. The hon. Gentleman should study what we are doing.

In the hope of encouraging more trade between Northern and Southern Ireland, and consequently creating more jobs, will my hon. Friend initiate talks between the Northern Ireland Development Agency and the Industrial Development Agency so that companies on both sides of the border can be included in the approved lists of both agencies?

That would not be appropriate. NIDA's job is to encourage inward investment in the Province, and it is making a success of that.

Does the Minister accept that the only way to reduce unemployment in Northern Ireland is to have a coherent regional strategy that is designed to encourage investment and create jobs? Has he noted the strength of feeling among trade unionists in the Province during this week of action? Why is he doing so little to reduce unemployment?

The Government have a three-pronged strategy for the Province to improve employment prospects—encouraging established industries, building on small businesses and attracting inward investment. We are succeeding on all counts.

asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the next meeting at ministerial level with the Republic of Ireland will take place.

There are no firm plans for any meetings at this moment, but meetings will continue to take place as and when appropriate between myself and my colleagues and Ministers from the Republic, as in the case of my noble Friend the Under-Secretary of State's meeting with the Republic's Minister of Fisheries and Forestry last week in Northern Ireland.

Although the first meeting with leading Ministers in the Republic caused a great flush of hope among the vast majority of people that a new initiative to solve the intractable problem was under way, does the Minister accept that it is necessary for everyone to know a great deal more about what is happening? Next time that there is a meeting, even though we are at a transitional stage, will he ask the Prime Minister to give us a full report on which we can question her?

I am glad that the hon. Gentleman is pleased about such meetings. They will continue. His second question does not relate to the main question, which concerns meetings between Ministers from the Republic and Northern Ireland Ministers. I am happy to tell the hon. Gentleman what happens at such meetings. At the meeting between my noble Friend and the Republic's Minister of Fisheries and Forestry they discussed fish.

asked the Prime Minister when next she intends to meet the leaders of the Confederation of British Industry.

I have no immediate plans to do so.

Does the Prime Minister accept that when members of the CBI ask her about the 174 bankruptcies each week she cannot try to placate them, as she tries to do the TUC and the 364 economists, by saying that all will be well in the end, because the CBI is saying that the state of British industry is such that when she makes the call for the upturn it will not be in a position to respond?

The CBI backs the Government's broad general strategy. Industry will be in a position to respond because it is now reducing over-manning and making itself competitive. That is the best contribution that it can make to Britain.

In discussions with the CBI, will my right hon. Friend bear in mind the fact that although it serves purposes of enormous value, its advice to the Government has not always been of totally certain value? In 1971, the CBI devised a scheme that wrecked the financing of nationalised industries for five years. Will she welcome its advice, but treat it with the respect that it deserves?

The CBI's advice has not always been wholly dispassionate, but we took its advice recently and gave top priority to reducing interest rates. The CBI fully supports the Government in that priority.

Is the Prime Minister aware that next Saturday there will be a massive TUC demonstration in Bradford, led by the trade union and Labour movement, against the Government's policies, which are creating mass unemployment? The textile industry has modernised and shed jobs, but it is still facing lengthening dole queues because of Government policy. What will she do to restore the industry's confidence?

We would have a larger textile industry if more people bought British products. I wish that hon. Members on the Opposition Benches would address themselves to the real reason why our industry is not doing as well as it should, which is that many people buy foreign goods in preference to British goods.

asked the Prime Minister whether she is satisfied with the degree of co-ordination between the Civil Service Department and the Home Office in determining the approved complement of staff of the English and Welsh Parliamentary Boundary Commissions.

Yes, Sir.

In view of the inconsistency between the reduction of more than 4 per cent. in the number of non-industrial civil servants (luring the past two years and the simultaneous increase in the staff of the Boundary Commissions by 60 per cent., is it not clear that the Government choose to ignore their own policies when they believe that their own preservation is at stake?

The Boundary Commission operates independently under the chairmanship of Mr. Speaker. It has sufficient staff to enable it to carry out its task in the statutory time allotted to h. I do not think that we can expect advice from the Opposition on anything to do with Boundary Commissions, in view of their record in 1969.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 9 April.

This morning I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in this House, I shall be having further meetings later today.

Will the Prime Minister find time today to tell the British public that she is convinced that she will reform the common agricultural policy during her term of office?

Weshall make every effort to do so, and we shall make particularly strenuous efforts during our Presidency in the latter half of this year. It is an urgent matter.

In view of certain press reports this morning, will my right hon. Friend take the opportunity today to reassure us that no Cabinet decision has yet been made on what action might be appropriate following the Green Paper on trade union immunities, and that no such decision will be made until the consultation period on the Green Paper is complete?

Of course no decision will be made until we have received the consultations on that very important paper. I am glad to reassure my hon. Friend.

Will the right hon. Lady take a very early opportunity today—namely, at the Dispatch Box now—to disown and condemn the Tory Action leaflet circulating in London under the title "Round Robin for March 1981", which is clearly racist and Fascist in its implications? Is she not eager to condemn that leaflet in the strongest possible terms?

I neither know nor have seen such a leaflet, but I gladly condemn all racism and Fascism.

The right hon. Lady may not have seen the leaflet—and I understand that—but, having expressed a desire to condemn racism of this nature, will she take immediate steps to obtain a copy of the leaflet and to secure the support of the so-called Tory immigration group to condemn the leaflet too? Surely the whole House would wish to condemn this form of racist propaganda.

I totally condemn racism and Fascism. I never condemn something that I have not seen.

Will my right hon. Friend take time today to consider the growing impatience and frustration of tens of thousands of council tenants throughout the country, but particularly in 27 Labour-controlled council areas, who wish to exercise their democratic right to buy their own homes? Will she give some advice and encouragement to them today so that in the near future they may be able to do so?

Local councils should assist tenants to exercise their legal rights, including the legal right to purchase their council houses. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment is in touch with a number of councils that seem to be delaying matters, and he will consider very shortly what action he should take if they do not comply.

Will the right hon. Lady have time today to consider the serious problems created for the Marconi radar company by the threatened cancellation of orders for naval equipment, which is produced mainly in my constituency, and the substitution of orders for Dutch equipment, so that much unemployment will be caused? Will she investigate the matter and see whether it is possible to buy British equipment, the research for which has been carried out at public expense, and which has now been produced to the precise specifications of the Ministry of Defence?

We try to buy British wherever possible and make strenuous efforts to do so even on some occasions when it costs just a little more. But we also have to consider the expense. Perhaps the hon. and learned Gentleman will take up the case direct with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence.

Will the Prime Minister find an opportunity to explain why she sent the Solicitor-General to Strasbourg to defend the case brought by the three sacked British Rail employees? If she was so keen that he should go to Strasbourg, why did she not send him briefed to defend the three employees and to support their case, when they had been sacked from their jobs on a matter of conscience?

My hon. and learned Friend the Solicitor-General made it perfectly clear that the law under this Government was totally different from the law when that case arose. He would greatly resent what the hon. Gentleman has said, and so do I.

asked the Prime Minister whether she will list her official engagements for 9 April.

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply which I gave some moments ago.

Will my right hon. Friend comment on the damage being done to the effectiveness of the Polaris force by a handful of civil servants during the current dispute? Does not their action strike at the heart of the nation's defences, and should not the possibility of such sabotage be excluded from their conditions of employment?

I do not think that the British people will think very much of a minority of public servants who choose to put personal gain above the safety of the realm. I make it clear that the nuclear deterrent is still effective, and will remain effective, and we shall take all steps to see that it does.

On her forthcoming visit to India, how will the right hon. Lady meet the criticism that the British Nationality Bill is anti-feminist with regard to the application of the present immigration rules? Will it not be difficult for the people of India to understand the position of Britain's first woman Prime Minister in this matter?

I do not envisage any particular difficulty.

Will my right hon. Friend accept from one who represents a defence area that the action by civil servants to prevent the servicing of Polaris submarines is resented by many members of the Civil Service unions, many of whom are heartily sick of the action that is taken in their name?

I think that that action is both deeply resented and not understood. I have already commented upon it. I must make it clear, however, that just as we condemn those who seek to put defence and the nuclear deterrent at risk, so we should thoroughly applaud the vast majority of public servants who loyally stay at their jobs and take on extra duties so that the intelligence services and the safety of the realm shall continue.

Before the right hon. Lady takes up too much of her time today worrying about those council tenants whose legal right to buy their houses she believes is being thwarted, will she take time to consider the far higher priority of the hundreds of thousands of would-be council tenants whose human rights are being offended by the fact that the Government's policy will mean that no council houses will be provided in the next two or three years?

I shall do everything to see that the legal rights of council tenants to purchase their own houses are honoured. The hon. Gentleman should remember that more than 100,000 council houses are vacant, and have been for some time.

asked the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for 9 April.

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply which I gave some moments ago.

Is the Prime Minister aware of the anger in Scotland at the proposed takeover of the Royal Bank of Scotland by two banking companies competing for it? Will she take time today to meet the Secretary of State for Trade and request him to refer the whole question to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission without delay?

I believe that the legal position is that the Director General of Fair Trading has to consider the matter and make his recommendation to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade, who in turn will make his decision about a reference to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission before the final day for the bid.

Will my right hon. Friend, during her busy day, find time to discuss with her Cabinet colleagues the problems in Dundee, where we have seen a surge of anti-semitism, 'which is a direct result of the flying of the PLO flag and the twinning of Dundee with Nablus?

Of course, I condemn wholly and utterly any anti-semitism anywhere in the United Kingdom. The purpose of twinning is for the people of each town to get to know each other better. I am sure that many people in Dundee would wish that their local council would give attention first to local matters.

One cannot expect the Prime Minister to send a greeting to the Labour movement's rally in Bradford on Saturday, but will she at least consider sending an appropriate message to the rally that is to he held in Hyde Park on Sunday, organised by all the national youth bodies and led by the Rotherham youth service? It is a rally that is to be colourful, responsible and nonpartisan. What message would the right hon. Lady can; to give that rally?

That the best way to create jobs in the future is to get British industry competitive, that that is already happening, and that one of the main ways to do that is to fight inflation, because unless we beat inflation we shall not get industry competitive or have the jobs here.