Mr Edward Milne: May I crave the indulgence of the House in what every hon. Member regards as a major ordeal. If the tolerance of hon. Members matches the kindness which I have been shown since I arrived last Tuesday, there is no doubt about my ultimate emergence from this test. One of my illustrious predecessors who represented the same area of the country, that widely respected and well-loved miners'...
Mr Edward Milne: asked the President of the Board of Trade what examination he has made into the possibility of scheduling Blyth as a development area under the Local Employment Act.
Mr Edward Milne: Does that reply indicate that the President of the Board of Trade is less interested in the situation in Blyth now than he was during the recent by-election campaign?
Mr Edward Milne: asked the President of the Board of Trade what action he intends to take in view of the effects of pit closures on employment in the Seaton Valley and Bedlington areas; and what assistance he is prepared to give to local authority development committees to provide alternative employment.
Mr Edward Milne: Is not the hon. Gentleman aware that prevention of unemployment is better than cure? What will he do to prevent these situations from arising?
Mr Edward Milne: asked the Minister of Labour if he will give the latest available unemployment figures for the Blyth Employment Exchange, specifying the length of unemployment of males, females and persons under 18, respectively; and what were the comparable figures at the same date in 1959 and 1960
Mr Edward Milne: Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that the position is likely to deteriorate in the very near future, because of the shortage of orders at the Blyth shipyard? Will he inform his right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade that we are anxiously awaiting his doing something to implement the promises which he was bandying around so freely in the recent by-election?
Mr Edward Milne: I have listened with a great deal of interest to most of the speeches made today. From the opposite benches the general plea has been for some sort of tax concessions in order to induce people who hon. Members opposite think really matter to carry on the useful work of the community, but I would remind them that the real work of the community is done by the people in the shipyards, by the...
Mr Edward Milne: It depends, of course, on the woman to whom one is referring. The Prime Minister went on: Certainly last October they had the sense to see that life was indeed better with the Conservatives and they had the sense to lake the necessary action to make sure that Labour did not get the chance to ruin it. The Prime Minister would, of course, say today, "Why let Labour ruin it when we can do the...
Mr Edward Milne: When the right hon. and learned Gentleman is ascertaining these figures, will he bear in mind the contribution that the mining community makes to the nation, and see that there is an improvement in any position that he does discover?
Mr Edward Milne: The Financial Secretary to the Treasury gave as his justification for these increases in contributions the fact that during the past ten years, under the rule of this Government, the people had benefited so much that there was nothing wrong in taking this contribution from them. A factor that has recurred in this debate is the way in which Members opposite have kept repeating—and...
Mr Edward Milne: The hon. Gentleman says that we are-after hon. Members have had to get up and admit that their constituents are still waiting for hospitals to be built. The £49 million to be raised by the Bill must be related to the money made by the drug houses and the finance people, who are crouching behind every proposal to improve conditions in Britain. But for their gains in the course of spending the...
Mr Edward Milne: asked the Minister of Power if he will give the number of oil-fired power stations which are in operation in the British Isles.
Mr Edward Milne: Does the Minister realise that this is one more than was operating in 1959? What steps is he likely to take to ensure that the ones suitable for conversion are converted to coal-firing at the earliest possible moment?
Mr Edward Milne: Now that we have convinced the hon. Member of the correctness of the policy we have been advocating, will he undertake to join us in pressing it on the Government Front Bench?
Mr Edward Milne: asked the Minister of Education what is the number of pupils remaining at school after 15 years of age in Northumberland; and what percentage of pupils this represents at the last school leaving date.
Mr Edward Milne: Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that if there were more jobs available in the area, considerably better figures would be the result; and will he consult his right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade with a view to improving the position?
Mr Edward Milne: asked the President of the Board of Trade what has been the north-east of England's share in Government loans to industry since the beginning of the present financial year; and the number of jobs this expenditure of money has now provided.
Mr Edward Milne: As previous Questions and Answers this afternoon have indicated, this is merely tinkering with the problem. Does the hon. Gentleman realise that flying visits by himself and the President of the Board of Trade, flying in and out again in an hour or so, are no way of examining the tremendous unemployment problem in the North-East? Will he give an assurance that, instead of making promises...
Mr Edward Milne: asked the Minister of Health (1) what is the cost of the ingredients of a week's treatment with phenobarbitone, ½ grain; (2) what is the cost of the ingredients of a week's treatment with ephedrine, ½ grain.