Mr Thomas Steele: Is my right hon. Friend aware that we of the Scottish Labour Group appreciate very much indeed the problems and difficulties which have been associated with this decision? Is he further aware that we warmly welcome the fact that the site is to be at Dounreay and that this decision will bring great encouragement to the people of the Highlands, and particularly to the Highlands and Islands...
Mr Thomas Steele: The right hon. Member never said how it can be done.
Mr Thomas Steele: I am tempted to follow the speech of the noble Lord the Member for Edinburgh, North (The Earl of Dalkeith), but I will content myself with making three short remarks about it. First, it was a high compliment to the Labour Government that the noble Lord expected them to do in nine months what his own Government failed to do in 13 years. Secondly, the noble Lord has shown evidence of a great...
Mr Thomas Steele: The noble Lord should show a little more restraint than to try now to make another speech. The two opening speeches in the debate ran rather to form. My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade did what other Presidents of the Board of Trade have done from the Front Bench. He was able to show exactly what was happening and, by quoting figures for jobs and employment, he gave the...
Mr Thomas Steele: One firm in my constituency has now been able to get assistance from B.O.T.A.C., but it has taken a considerable time to get it. The company wanted the assistance for one thing only, and that was to develop the export of its products. The firm was already exporting, but it wanted to improve on its performance. The Government have rightly insisted that firms which want to export, particularly...
Mr Thomas Steele: I am very glad to hear it. I have discussed this matter with a number of employers in London. Resulting from the failure of our talks with the Board of Trade, Dumbarton Town Council and Dunbartonshire County Council set up their own industrial estates and went out to seek firms themselves. In recent months I have found that employers are desperate to get out of London because of staff...
Mr Thomas Steele: On a point of order. Are we fighting the last election or are we dealing with the new Clause?
Mr Thomas Steele: Is my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister aware that the Select Committee on Procedure would welcome any suggestions from any hon. Member? Would not this be a better method of approach to a subject than that of putting Motions on the Order Paper?
Mr Thomas Steele: Order. We are not discussing the whole subject of the British aviation industry.
Mr Thomas Steele: Order. I hope the hon. Gentleman will relate what he is saying to the Clause. He is going rather wide at the moment.
Mr Thomas Steele: Not at this time in the evening.
Mr Thomas Steele: He would be out of order if he did.
Mr Thomas Steele: Order. I hope that we will listen quietly to the Financial Secretary. It seems to me that there is too much noise.
Mr Thomas Steele: Order. The hon. Lady misheard me. She was interrupting the Minister. I was asking right hon. and hon. Gentlemen to be quite so that they would hear what was happening.
Mr Thomas Steele: New Clause No. 33, Mr. Ian Lloyd.
Mr Thomas Steele: I understood that the Division was not required.
Mr Thomas Steele: The Committee will have an opportunity to divide on the new Clauses when we reach them.
Mr Thomas Steele: Yes, if the Committee has no objection.
Mr Thomas Steele: Order. If hon. Members are leaving the Chamber, they might do so quietly.
Mr Thomas Steele: It would be convenient to discuss at the same time Amendment No. 580 standing in the name of the hon. Member for Wokingham (Mr. van Straubenzee) and the names of other hon. Members, in page 174, line 15, after "distributions" insert less the income tax borne by it on income other than franked investment income".
