Miss Joan Lestor: The hon. Lady said that they are not here, but outside. Few have got up and stood for the Act—[Interruption.] The hon. Gentleman ought to get up and say what he has got to say and not snipe.
Miss Joan Lestor: I am not talking to the Minister. I am talking to the one with the silly grin on his face. If Conservative Members who have spoken are concerned—I share their concern and we know that what they say makes sense—about the operation of the Act, if they join us in the Lobby tonight, we can begin to alter the Act and establish a principle that, yes, not only makes people responsible for their...
Miss Joan Lestor: Will the hon. Gentleman give way?
Miss Joan Lestor: Will the hon. Gentleman give way?
Miss Joan Lestor: I have a strange sense of deja vu as I stand here today. I welcome the consultation paper, and I agree with the right hon. Lady that we are talking about services to children and the interests of children. They are central to any action that we take about our children. The White Paper says that, as I think the right hon. Lady underlined, when we are considering adoption, we must be sure that...
Miss Joan Lestor: In conclusion, and as pithily as I can, I say that we should learn from the experiences of the Child Migrants Trust with regard to children from abroad as well as those here. The White Paper, which I welcome—I hope that we will consult on it—will make us a much more child-friendly society with regard to the children that we have in our trust to place properly with future parents.
Miss Joan Lestor: I have been in the House long enough and read enough political diaries to know how easily history is rewritten. We never had a referendum in this country on the issue of entering the EEC. We had a referendum on whether to remain in the EEC, which is a different concept and has a different psychological effect on people. We have never had a referendum on the Maastricht treaty to put the issue...
Miss Joan Lestor: I will not give way to the hon. Lady. I asked her to give way to me and she would not do so. Let us have no more of this rubbish.
Miss Joan Lestor: I will not give way even to the hon. Gentleman, however charming he may be. I only have a few minutes, so he can see me afterwards in the Lobby. The social chapter is modest in its proposals. It involves legislation on working conditions and on equality, but it excludes the right to strike and rates of pay. I should like the social chapter to be stronger. Now that we are in Europe, we are...
Miss Joan Lestor: I will not give way. Nobody gave way when I tried to intervene. We have a very short time.
Miss Joan Lestor: I will see the hon. Gentleman afterwards in the Lobby. Let us get one or two facts straight about the need for protective legislation for workers. One quarter of Europe's poorest people are United Kingdom citizens. On any table that is used, one in four United Kingdom citizens live in poverty and 4 million of them are children. The wages councils have been abolished. Even with the 32...
Miss Joan Lestor: rose—
Miss Joan Lestor: I could not have picked a better night for the Adjournment debate. I raise the issue of AIDS and HIV in an attempt to discover the Government's current attitude towards the Day report and projections about the development of the disease in future. It is a pity that leaks and speculations about the contents of the Day report took off well before its publication. Many who, prior to...
Miss Joan Lestor: To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer on 23 June to the hon. Member for Dumbarton (Mr. McFall), Official Report, column 226, if he is now in a position to announce his review of regional policy in relation to the assisted areas map.
Miss Joan Lestor: Is not the Minister aware that that is exactly the same answer that he gave last month when the question was put to him, and that we are now in a position of promises, promises, promises? Is he aware that the announcement should be made at a time when the House can properly debate it? Is not he aware of the conjecture and the leaks that have taken place, which mean that local authorities and...
Miss Joan Lestor: I shall begin by agreeing with my namesake, the hon. Member for Broxtowe (Mr. Lester). He commented on the major crisis among the main aid donors and the reductions in aid given. That does not let this country off the hook. For a long time, we have ranked as one of the lowest main donors of aid. That is a tragedy for the developing countries and the world as a whole. It is unfortunate that a...
Miss Joan Lestor: When I was lobbied recently by dermatologists in Salford, I discussed this very point with them. In addition to my hon. Friend's point, they referred to the fact that, in the case of children, they have to experiment with a treatment because, as my hon. Friend said, there is no one overall treatment. The Government's proposals will cause havoc and misery to families, and will be very...
Miss Joan Lestor: If the views of the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Mr. Evans) have been formed as a result of his activities on the football field, I recommend that the Government ban the sport immediately. I cannot believe the speech that I have just heard and I do not intend to pick up on it in any way, except to throw out one or two general thoughts. People call for activities for our young people at a...
Miss Joan Lestor: I was just about to comment on that. We kid ourselves that young people are well aware of birth control, but they are not. The hon. Gentleman is right when he says that many teenage pregnancies are not intentional. Many young girls who become pregnant decide to go ahead with the pregnancies despite the social difficulties which they know that they will face. We must address that issue. The...
Miss Joan Lestor: I am not surprised. We hear about this minority all the time; we concentrate on it. We have all had a great many letters, however, from young people in our constituencies asking how they can raise money for various good causes. They want to be involved. They are increasingly aware of environmental issues. We have all been to functions at which we have seen the good activities carried out by...