Mr Neil Macfarlane: I thank you, Mr. Speaker, for this opportunity to make my maiden speech so early in the life of this new Parliament. I have the honour to represent Sutton and Cheam, which is a constituency fairly well known throughout the length and breadth of the land, and which is about 13 miles from Westminster. It is on the ring of outer London and on the fringes of Surrey. It is a compact constituency...
Mr Neil Macfarlane: asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection if she will introduce legisla- tion to curb the mailing of unsolicited material.
Mr Neil Macfarlane: I remind the Minister that there is a continued bombardment of such material, certainly in my constituency, and, I believe, elsewhere. It is confusing to older people, who receive many official-looking documents which are no more than lottery or credit card reminders. May I suggest that the Department takes urgent notice of the matter? I can provide the hon. Gentleman with a great deal of...
Mr Neil Macfarlane: asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will introduce regulations designed to prevent the hoarding of petrol stocks by retailers in the event of a further rise in the price of petrol.
Mr Neil Macfarlane: I thank the hon. Gentleman for that reply, but does he not express concern at the possibility of this kind of thing happening? The attendant publicity gathers momentum when a price rise is imminent. Many of my constituents, as well as others, have experienced this kind of problem with retailers who open late and close early when a fairly drastic price rise is imminent.
Mr Neil Macfarlane: I associate myself with the remarks of my hon. Friends. I shall deal with a sector of society which has been greatly affected by the Chancellor's Budget Statement earlier this year—the small retailer and the small businessman, who have been affected by the introduction of 10 per cent. value added tax on foodstuffs within a price category below lop. After listening to the Chancellor's...
Mr Neil Macfarlane: asked the Secretary of State for Energy how many oil refineries are currently under construction in the United Kingdom; and how many more are planned between 1975 and 1980.
Mr Neil Macfarlane: I thank the Minister for that reply. Is he satisfied with the number of refineries planned between now and the end of this decade, and will he confirm that capacity for this decade has been assessed correctly, with special reference to the exporting of middle distillates which is essential to the future of this country?
Mr Neil Macfarlane: Will the hon. Gentleman refute the suggestion that the instruction will in no way lead to the addition of more houses for the Greater London area? Should not the accent be on the acquisition of more land and more houses and not on existing houses?
Mr Neil Macfarlane: asked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he can now say if he intends to implement the Nugent Committee's recommendation to return the village of Tyneham to the people of Dorset.
Mr Neil Macfarlane: I thank the hon. Gentleman for his somewhat terse reply. I declare by interest as a member of the National Trust. Is there any need for the retention of this village in any military capacity? Is there nothing that the Minister and his Department can do to hasten the return of the village to the people of Dorset?
Mr Neil Macfarlane: No one in the House underestimates the gravity of the situation that confronts us. It is a source of constant concern not only to us but also to our constituents. Judging by the plethora of letters I have received it is certainly in the forefront of their minds. The Home Secretary's task is not an easy one and, perhaps because of the emotions involved, his is the hottest chair at the Cabinet...
Mr Neil Macfarlane: I am grateful for this opportunity to raise on the Adjournment an issue of great importance to my constituents and constituency. I begin by congratulating the Under-Secretary on his appointment to the Front Bench and wish him well. I am certain that in his constituency in Rhondda he will suffer from the same problems as those which I seek to highlight tonight. The future of the Belmont and...
Mr Neil Macfarlane: The Minister referred to the impressiveness of the Bel- mont and Henderson Hospitals. Having made a couple of visits to the latter, I think the hon. Gentleman is looking at the hospital with a degree of optimism. I can only assume that the hospital has not been inspected recently. It is not an impressive unit. It is an antiquated building and in a condition of severe dilapidation. It is a...
Mr Neil Macfarlane: It is all very well to suggest that the population of Greater London will decline over the next decade, but the problem facing the outer London boroughs is acute and critical. Unless the Department has made some accurate projections over the next 10 to 15 years I feel that it will be ignoring the depth of the geriatric problem up to 1990. I should be interested to know—perhaps the hon....
Mr Neil Macfarlane: I too intend to make only a few brief remarks, because I know that a considerable number of hon. Members still wish to speak. I add my welcome to the Bill. I think that it will give a welcome indication of the first positive step to have been taken for some time by the House of Commons. I hope that it will be the successful positive step which is so earnestly required in this country. I...
Mr Neil Macfarlane: I shall endeavour to observe all you have said, Mr. Deputy Speaker. I only hope that the setting up of the Scottish Assembly can be hastened, if only for the fact that it will transfer the hon. Member for West Stirlingshire (Mr. Canavan) there to continue his peroration. I wish to look at one particular aspect of education which I hope the Secretary of State for Scotland will examine when he...
Mr Neil Macfarlane: asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will introduce legislation to ensure that firearms and shotguns are given identical licensing qualifications.
Mr Neil Macfarlane: I am grateful to the Minister for her reply. Have the police made strong representations about the growth in firearm offences, with particular reference to the use of shotguns?
Mr Neil Macfarlane: asked the Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection what has been the increase in the cost of living since February 1974