Mr Fred Silvester: The constituency to which I have just been elected is diminishing in size— the Boundary Commission is constantly looking at it with reforming zeal—but the House will agree that it is showing in its old age a continued independence of spirit. Part of this is due to the work of former Members and candidates, whose work I have the honour to inherit. The House will know that Earl Attlee one...
Mr Fred Silvester: I think it is true that there is not enough public interest in education, or at least we can agree that we would like more of it. If we rush too much we may damage any enthusiasm which has been aroused, and demoralise those people who devote trouble and time to education. This is something we should seriously seek to avoid. There is another danger in rushing. We cannot over-emphasise the...
Mr Fred Silvester: If I may speak briefly about an impression which has struck me from the debate, which is the first time that I have heard a debate on Supplementary Estimates on the railways, it has become clear as various hon. Members have spoken that the basic factor behind this new Supplementary Estimate has been the intervention of the Government in the management of British Railways. One of the dangers...
Mr Fred Silvester: The hon. Member for Chisle-hurst (Mr. Macdonald) spoke about compensation in cases of planning blight. I prefer the view of the hon. Members for Cardiff, North (Mr. E. Rowlands) and Erith and Crayford (Mr. Wellbeloved). It may be true that the local authority does not have a bottomless purse, but it has a duty to ensure that those personally affected by its plans and suggested plans are not...
Mr Fred Silvester: In this case the local authority did not refuse outright. I understand that in the situation suggested by the hon. Member the authority would be liable to pay money, to give some sort of compensation. In some cases an authority is liable to pay compensation for not granting planning permission. In this case the authority made a decision and varied it. The person concerned was forced to make...
Mr Fred Silvester: asked the President of the Board of Trade what progress has been made by the working party considering exclusion clauses in guarantees; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Fred Silvester: As this matter has now been under discussion at least since the Molony Report of 1962, can the right hon. Gentleman give an assurance that he will bring forward the necessary legislation very soon indeed without waiting for an interim report?
Mr Fred Silvester: asked the Postmaster-General how many attacks during working hours were made by thieves on sub-post offices in the Greater London area in 1967 and in 1968; what injuries were sustained by sub-postmasters and their staffs; and what was the total value of the goods stolen.
Mr Fred Silvester: Although the Postmaster-General has indicated that in many cases there were no serious injuries to staff in that period, is he aware that there is much apprehension amongst the staff of sub-post offices in crime-prone areas? Will he now reconsider the statement he has made twice today to the effect that he will not bear the full cost of the loss as a result of these banditries?
Mr Fred Silvester: asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science which local education authorities are placing teachers in industry for short periods on the lines of Schools Council Working Paper No. 7 during the 1967–68 school year.
Mr Fred Silvester: As it is two years since the initial experiment, is my right hon. Friend satisfied that enough progress is being made with this scheme, which was welcomed by both the C.B.I. and the Schools Councils? What further steps has she in mind for stimulating it still further?
Mr Fred Silvester: I want to take up the Minister of State's challenge, not once more to go over the arguments which were put in Committee, but to read something which he said in Committee and to develop my argument from that. One of his strongest arguments in Committee was that people should not be given the impression that they had a right which they did not possess. He said: We must draw a distinction...
Mr Fred Silvester: asked the Minister of Power whether agreement has now been reached between the electricity industry and the Gas Council about electricity connection charges in new housing developments.
Mr Fred Silvester: Is the hon. Gentleman aware that this matter was raised originally in the 1965 fuel White Paper, and will he agree that it is undesirable for connection charges to be used as a weapon in the competition for securing central heating contracts on new housing estates?
Mr Fred Silvester: asked the President of the Board of Trade what estimate he has made of the level of finance from overseas to be provided by major United States film companies for film production in the United Kingdom in 1967 and 1968.
Mr Fred Silvester: Is the hon. Lady aware that there is some concern in the indus- try that American restrictions may lead to a cut-back of American investment in films produced in this country? Would not she agree that this is just the time when the Government should make a statement that they are committed to some form of assistance to the National Film Finance Corporation to help British finance for the...
Mr Fred Silvester: asked the President of the Board of Trade what proportion of the overseas earnings of films produced by companies other than the major United States film companies was attributable to films financed with the assistance of the National Film Finance Corporation in 1965 and 1966.
Mr Fred Silvester: Does not the hon. Lady agree that there is considerable achievement by films of this kind, which earn foreign exchange? If she cannot make a commitment now about the National Film Finance Corporation, can she at least say that the new legislation will provide some means of channelling British investment into films in this country?
Mr Fred Silvester: asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government what modifications of the mortgage option scheme he is considering.
Mr Fred Silvester: While the right hon. Gentleman has explained that he has no power at the moment to change the option mortgage scheme, is he aware that his booklet on the scheme explains that people paying tax of £80 a year are likely to benefit if they take the option and that that statement is no longer true? Has he any plans to change the booklet if he cannot change the law?