Mr William Ross: It is right that this House should be recalled to discuss the grave situation in Ulster. No body of men and women has a greater right to concern. Not only is this House the nation's governing body; it is also responsible for the present situation in Ulster. The Executive, like any other institution which did not enjoy the support and confidence of a majority of the population, was resented...
Mr William Ross: The demonstrations I saw did not have masked men. [HON. MEMBERS: "Oh!"] I simply said that none of the demonstrations I attended had masked men. The right hon. Member for Cambridgeshire (Mr. Pym) castigated the Prime Minister's speech. I believe that he did so rightly. But the right hon. Member for Cambridgeshire will also be aware that his own remarks on television were about as helpful...
Mr William Ross: I am sorry, but I will not give way. I remind hon. Members that the vilification which led to the destruction of those forces in Ulster also led to the deaths of 1,000 people. We have heard in the last few days rather foolish remarks about Northern Ireland. Most should be ignored, but reference to tanks cannot be buried completely.
Mr William Ross: I do not see why I should. I will content myself by pointing out that a tank would have the greatest difficulty in trying to operate a sewage works, for example. The future is the most important thing for Ulster at present. We have four months in which to think about Ulster's political future. I think that a great many hon. Members will agree with me in saying that hope springs eternal in...
Mr William Ross: Londonderry.
Mr William Ross: May I point out to the hon. Gentleman that Bishop Quin, who can well be described as being among the leaders of the Protestant Church, was in London, but no one seems to have talked to him.
Mr William Ross: Although the scheme does not refer directly to Northern Ireland it has some bearing on the situation there. The situation for agriculture as a whole in Northern Ireland is, to say the least, serious. Any increase of subsidy is welcomed by farmers. We never turn money away. I speak from personal experience. I have been a farmer since I was 14 years of age, up to March this year, when I came...
Mr William Ross: If the Northern Ireland situation is out of order this evening, I must restrict myself to the scheme. It is clear that, by and large, the situation throughout the country is serious for the beef market. Calves must come from breeding stock, but breeding stock is being slaughtered at an alarming rate. As long as that situation continues there is no hope of a quick recovery. The autumn calf...
Mr William Ross: War has been with mankind from the beginning of recorded history and will probably be with us when hon. Members now sitting in the House are safely dead and no longer worried about war. Yet to me there is something terribly obscene about spending so much of the time and effort of every nation in teaching young men to kill other young men or to burn their women and children to a crisp, whoever...
Mr William Ross: I rise once more to speak not only for the people of my constituency but, I think, for the people of all Northern Ireland. As I look at the serried ranks on both sides of the House. I think that we all realise the depth of the concern shown by the House for the horror of Ulster. The House saw the 1973 Act as a realistic way forward. It may have seemed realistic here, but it was not realistic...
Mr William Ross: Would it not be much simpler to shorten the border by giving Donegal to Northern Ireland?
Mr William Ross: Since the Northern Ireland situation was not adequately explained on the last occasion when agriculture was debated in the House, I intend to devote my remarks this evening to Class V of the Draft Appropriation (No. 2) (Northern Ireland) Order 1974. First, I should like to draw attention to Class V 3. I understand that this grant relates to the brucellosis eradication scheme, and the...
Mr William Ross: I have been looking carefully at proposal No. 40 and I find that it is a proposal to pay units of account varying between 1,000 and 400 per annum to farmers under 40 years of age. This is a gross discrimination against farmers in the Community and for the first time we have a document which discriminates on grounds of age. Hon. Members should bear in mind that a farmer of 40 still has 25...
Mr William Ross: I want to talk about the position of Northern Ireland in relation to the new tax. First, I want to speak about the forestry industry in Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland's forestry is principally coniferous and planted by the public. This position has been built up over many years. The reason why public planting has consisted primarily of softwoods is simply that the land on which trees...
Mr William Ross: I wish to draw to the attention of the House the difficulties and problems confronting the farming industry in Northern Ireland. The difficulties of the farming industry in this country during the past few years have, of course, been many and varied, including rising costs and the weather. Since I came to London a year ago I discovered that people only think they have wet weather. There is...
Mr William Ross: The hon. Gentleman is no doubt aware of the story that a ship recently sailed into Lough Foyle, discharged half its cargo in Eire, then sailed 10 miles up Lough Foyle and discharged the rest of its cargo into Londonderry, at a difference of several pounds per ton to the dealer in Londonderry.
Mr William Ross: Being fortunate, or unfortunate, enough to be a member of the Standing Committee, I have no doubt that the Financial Secretary recognises that we have here a valid point. Many right hon. and hon. Members have complained that the Financial Secretary did not write to them, but he did write to me on this matter. He sent me a most courteous letter, and the only fault with it is that he turned...
Mr William Ross: I beg to move Amendment No. 9 in page 3, line 15, at end insert: 'where the total cost, exclusive of value-added tax, of such conversion, reconstruction, alteration or enlargement does not exceed £400'. I understand that with this amendment we may take Amendment No. 320, in page 3, line 15, at end insert: 'save in any case where the supply of goods is at a total cost of more than £1,000'....
Mr William Ross: Another principal objection that has been raised concerns the policing that is necessary to ensure that there is no attempt to defraud the Revenue. With the figure of £400, only about £30 VAT is repayable. That is still worth while to the individual and it cuts out the very small amounts. The Treasury and I may have different views of what comprises a small amount, but £32 is still a...
Mr William Ross: The Financial Secretary said, and we all agree, that the clause is an improvement, but it is only a half-way house, and half way is neither here nor there. It is not a satisfactory position to be in. The hon. Gentleman said that acceptance of the amendment would create anomalies. There are already anomalies which we are trying to get rid of. The Financial Secretary also said that the...