Owen Paterson: I heartily congratulate the hon. Member for Ceredigion (Mr. Dafis) on the fact that the Bill has come so far. One has to admire someone with strong beliefs, who is elected to Parliament and then brings a private Member's Bill to Third Reading—he must be feeling pretty tense now, as we have been speaking for more than two hours. I am frustrated, however, as I feel that the Bill represents a...
Owen Paterson: I am most grateful to you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, for tripping me up. I wanted to draw the attention of the House to the fact that, although the Bill is well meaning, national targets will not bring practical benefits to my constituency. Much of our debate has been abstract, whereas I have tried to be concrete and practical. As my hon. Friend the Member for Ashford (Mr. Green) said—I am...
Owen Paterson: I am fully aware of that. I do not have to endorse everything that the previous Government did, as I was not a Member of Parliament at the time—I was in business, travelling around the world picking up practical experience, which I am now trying to bring to the House.
Owen Paterson: I should be delighted to tell the hon. Gentleman about the CAP another time, as I have very strong views about that, too. The question of fuel duties is fundamental—
Owen Paterson: I am most grateful to you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, for putting me on the right road again. I was arguing that national targets will not work. I am a confirmed believer in the market, which already works in our transport system by rationing. Traffic will not be reduced unless the marginal cost of the marginal journey hurts the transport consumer. If one wanted to go to from Shropshire to London,...
Owen Paterson: As a member of Friends of the Earth, can my hon. Friend enlighten us as to what practical measures Friends of the Earth would take to achieve those desirable targets?
Owen Paterson: It is all very well setting targets, but how does my hon. Friend suggest the Minister introduces practical measures to achieve them?
Owen Paterson: On the issue of pricing, does my hon. Friend agree that sticking excess duty on fuel is a crude, blunderbuss approach and not a reflection of the market? There are other ways to get closer to people's travel choices, but the blanket imposition of fuel duty hits everybody.
Owen Paterson: Does the hon. Gentleman agree that, in real life, the only mechanism that will work is the price mechanism?
Owen Paterson: The hon. Gentleman has missed a critical point that was mentioned by the right hon. Member for Chesterfield (Mr. Benn) and my hon. Friend the Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Mr. Hayes). The project is provoking excitement among most unpleasant extreme political parties in Europe. In France, for instance, no main political party does not support the project, with the result that, in...
Owen Paterson: rose—
Owen Paterson: On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. Is it not a convention of the House that, if an hon. Member is named by another hon. Member, he should be allowed to reply?
Owen Paterson: Will the Minister give way?
Owen Paterson: I heartily congratulate my hon. Friend on bringing this matter to the attention of the House. I, too, represent a farming constituency, and the problems are the same in Shropshire as they are in Dorset. Is it not incredibly frustrating for dairy and beef farmers that world demand for their products is increasing in a straight line? Indeed, world demand for dairy products is increasing...
Owen Paterson: How predominant does an international multi-media group have to become before it triggers concern and intervention by this Government?
Owen Paterson: Over the recess, I met Mr. Stephen Martin of Virtex, which runs virtual reality systems that would allow the millennium dome to be enjoyed by every citizen in the country who has access to the internet. That project was encouraged by my hon. Friend the Member for Esher and Walton (Mr. Taylor), but the company has now learnt from a reliable source that a Japanese system might have been chosen....
Owen Paterson: The Minister's historical rant is simply not good enough. [Interruption.] People working in businesses and on farms are worried sick that they will become unemployed because the Minister and the Secretary of State will not give the Chancellor a clear recommendation about what will do manufacturing good. At what level would they like to see the exchange rate?
Owen Paterson: rose—
Owen Paterson: rose—
Owen Paterson: Will the right hon. Lady give way?