Andrew MacKay: Will the right hon. Gentleman confirm that many divorcees are not obtaining their rightful maintenance from their ex-husbands, which is putting intolerable strains on the social security system? What does the Secretary of State intend to do to rectify this sad and unfair situation?
Andrew MacKay: Bearing in mind today's savage sentence of seven years' hard labour imposed by the Soviet authorities on Dr. Yuri Orlov and the fact that hon. Members in all parts of the House are concerned about great abuses of human rights in the Soviet Union, is it not high time that the right hon. Gentleman arranged for the House to debate the problem of human rights in the Soviet Union and elsewhere?
Andrew MacKay: During his busy day will the Prime Minister find time to commend the remarks of his right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, who said yesterday that this Government's unemployment protection legislation had caused much of the unemployment in this country? Will the Prime Minister also acknowledge that Members on the Opposition Benches have been telling him for a long time...
Andrew MacKay: Will the Minister bear in mind the amount of ratepayers' and taxpayers' money that is invested in new roads such as the Birmingham Inner Ring Road, taking account of the fact that we have had major structural defects very early on in these roads? Does he agree that it is time to consider checking with the people who constructed those roads to see whether they are responsible, and should...
Andrew MacKay: asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on progress in implementing the White Paper, "Policy for Roads: England 1978" (Command Paper No. 7132).
Andrew MacKay: Does the Secretary of State agree that it would be a good idea to have a debate as soon as possible on the White Paper, because many hon. Members on both sides are worried about the state of our roads? We appreciate that limited funds are available for extra maintenance, but we would like to discuss the allocations of those funds.
Andrew MacKay: asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the chief constable on measures taken to prevent violent crime in Birmingham; and if he will make a statement.
Andrew MacKay: Is the Under-Secretary aware that in Birmingham many innocent, law-abiding people dare not walk the streets at night for fear of being mugged? Is it not time that this disgraceful state of affairs was changed and that the Minister took action? Is she aware that we are 750 police officers short in the West Midlands? Surely the most important deterrent is detection, but there are not enough...
Andrew MacKay: Bearing in mind that today's crisis measures announced by the Government through the Press include a jobs tax, which will create increased unemployment in my constituency and elsewhere, is it not a disgrace that we are not to have a statement or debate about it and that we have to await the Report stage of the Finance Bill? Will the Lord President reconsider his decision and allow us to have...
Andrew MacKay: Does the Secretary of State appreciate that his intervention which led to the drying up of mortgage funds was completely counter-productive? Does he agree that it increased prices considerably and caused suffering to those who wanted a second mortgage? In the interests of house buyers will he guarantee the building industry and the public that there will be no further Government...
Andrew MacKay: Bearing in mind the atrocities committed in Rhodesia last week by the Patriotic Front, is it not irrelevant for the Lord President to say that we had a debate on Rhodesia three weeks ago? Are not these major new developments so important that the country will expect us to be discussing them in the very near future? Will he reconsider his answer to my right hon. Friend the Leader of the...
Andrew MacKay: During the right hon. Gentleman's busy day, will he find time to comment on the speech made yesterday at Newcastle by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he said that the long-awaited economic miracle is within our grasp? Will he compare and contrast that with the CBI report, which forecasts that productivity will drop in the next four months? Which is right?
Andrew MacKay: asked the Secretary of State for Transport by what indicators he judges any improvement in performance of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre at Swansea.
Andrew MacKay: I am glad that the Minister thinks that letters from hon. Members are a guide. Will he take it from me that many of my colleagues and I are receiving an increasing number of complaints from constituents? I appreciate that the centre is an acute embarrassment to the Minister, but does he think that it is time to hold a public inquiry into the running of the centre so that it can be made...
Andrew MacKay: Does the Home Secretary agree that the best deterrent to violent criminals is detection? If he agrees, as I believe he does, will he assure the House that he will implement the Edmund-Davies findings as early as possible and not wait for Treasury approval as to pay policy?
Andrew MacKay: Is the Minister aware that in my Birmingham constituency there are several mothers who have sons or daughters on kidney machines who are to lose their attendance allowance later this week? This is causing great hardship and distress. What will the Minister do to alleviate it?
Andrew MacKay: Is it not time that we had a statement from the Edmund-Davies report on police pay, particularly since the Home Secretary, sitting on the Treasury Bench last week, was waving the report over his head with some panache?
Andrew MacKay: asked the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 18th July.
Andrew MacKay: During his hectic day, will the Prime Minister explain to the House how these disastrous unemployment figures tally with his party's slogan at the last election "Back to work with Labour"? Is he aware that the 900,000 people who have been put on the dole by the incompetence of his Government want a straight answer to this question?
Andrew MacKay: Is the Minister aware that I have a vested interest, having been caught for speeding recently on a motorway? Notwithstanding that, does he agree that there are other factors which cause bunching as well as those he mentioned, the most important being the 70 mph speed limit? Whereas his answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Warwick and Leamington (Mr. Smith) was a little dusty, may I ask him...
