Mr Fred Blackburn: In rising to make my first speech before this august assembly, I crave the indulgence of the House. However many speeches one may have made on other occasions, it must always be something of an ordeal to make one's first speech before the most critical audience in the world. I have received much good advice from many friends, and the only part I remember of it, and the part that I mean to...
Mr Fred Blackburn: asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government when he intends to take the initial steps to deal with the reform of local government.
Mr Fred Blackburn: Would not the Minister agree that that was a different Question? My hon. Friend on that occasion asked for certain things to be done, and this Question asks when the Minister intends to take initial steps.
Mr Fred Blackburn: asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how many British officials dismissed by the Egyptian Government have now returned to this country; and how many have secured alternative employment.
Mr Fred Blackburn: Would not the hon. Gentleman agree that we have a responsibility towards these officials, and that this information ought to be in the hands of the Government?
Mr Fred Blackburn: I just want to be clear what the right hon. and learned Gentleman meant when he was talking about the economic unit being 250 or 300. What exactly does the right hon. and learned Gentleman mean by the "economic unit"?
Mr Fred Blackburn: A unit within industry?
Mr Fred Blackburn: I shall try to be brief, because I know that many hon. Members wish to make a contribution to this debate. I hope that the hon. Member for Aberdeenshire, East (Mr. Boothby), will forgive me if I do not follow him in detail in his most interesting speech. There are certain specific points which I wish to make and unless I make them now I shall be taking up more time than is my due. I would...
Mr Fred Blackburn: Surely the hon. Gentleman will agree that the class of people I have mentioned get no incentive to increase production.
Mr Fred Blackburn: The hon. and gallant Member for Down, North (Sir W. Smiles) will forgive me if I do not follow him on the question of the linen industry of Northern Ireland, except to say that if he is still using sheets dating back to 1886 I do not think he is making his proper contribution to the linen industry of Northern Ireland. I am very pleased that we are having this debate and hope that something ...
Mr Fred Blackburn: If the President said that, I did not hear him say it; but I am not going to adopt this morning the attitude adopted by the Opposition of a previous administration, when everything that went wrong was blamed on the then Government. I am not going to blame the present Government because there has been a recession in world trade. The present Government will not be judged on that fact—which...
Mr Fred Blackburn: asked the President of the Board of Trade which industries are affected by the recent Australian import restrictions; and to what extent by volume and value in each case.
Mr Fred Blackburn: I am glad to have the pleasure of following the hon. Member for Kidderminster (Mr. Nabarro). If I had known that I was to do so, I should have taken the opportunity of reading in more detail what he said last year. I do not think that he has convinced the Committee of the reason for his change of attitude. He may have convinced himself; he has made a very valiant effort to do so. Whether he...
Mr Fred Blackburn: If a specification scheme is divorced entirely from a Purchase Tax scheme, there is then nothing which would conflict with our international agreements.
Mr Fred Blackburn: Could I clear up one point about headwear? In the list of goods the right hon. Gentleman has mentioned as being covered by this scheme, he did not mention headwear, which comes under group 2 of the 1948 Act, and therefore, I think, should fall within the scheme.
Mr Fred Blackburn: Under the Resolution headgear would be covered by groups 1 to 7. Group 2 of the 1948 Act covers headgear, and paragraph (a) refers to "Articles not comprised in any of the following paragraphs of this group."My contention is that the paragraph covers all felt hats and straw hats, which would therefore come within this Resolution.
Mr Fred Blackburn: I beg to move, in page 75, line 42, at the end, to insert:
Mr Fred Blackburn: I should like to say that the industry with which I am most concerned is the textile industry, but there is a difference about felt and wool hats in that they have a 33â per cent. Purchase Tax levy over the whole range. There are no Utility hats at all, and that is the reason why we are trying to bring them within this scheme. If the Government scrap the whole of the D scheme and the...
Mr Fred Blackburn: rose—
Mr Fred Blackburn: It is the word "cannot."