Hon. Adam Butler: Indeed, I have had the right hon. Gentleman's support before.
Hon. Adam Butler: I hope that he is right, as there are certain strains in that area of economic activity. Those hon. Members who spoke stressed the importance of expenditure on housing. The right hon. Gentleman asked if I would define precisely the distinction between capital and revenue—or current—expenditure. I deliberately included in my opening speech the main items that fall under the definition of...
Hon. Adam Butler: My impression was that the Labour party utterly opposed the sale of council houses in Great Britain until it found that such a policy was not a great winner, whereupon it changed its attitude. I shall readily pass on the acknowledgement of the right hon. Member for South Down of the contribution that my hon. Friend and his predecessor have made. No doubt they will read the right hon....
Hon. Adam Butler: The future of Northern Ireland gas industry is bound up with the planned supply of natural gas from Kinsale in the Republic of Ireland. Factors involving price and potential market have recently emerged which could adversely affect the prospects for the natural gas project. These factors are now being assessed to determine their long-term significance.
Hon. Adam Butler: I am happy to scotch that rumour. Secondly, I agree that we must take a decision as quickly as possible, for the reasons which the hon. Gentleman has mentioned, and also because, if we do not, we shall not be able to implement plans for getting gas to Belfast in the latter part of 1985.
Hon. Adam Butler: No, Sir. It is quite clear from the analysis that has been done that such a link would have been much more expensive.
Hon. Adam Butler: With the leave of the House, Mr. Deputy Speaker. On a personal note, I thank the hon. Members for Antrim, East (Mr. Beggs) and for Mid-Ulster (Rev. William McCrea) for their congratulations. I greatly appreciate what they said. The right hon. and learned Member or Warley, West (Mr. Archer) has also and separately congratulated me. I equally appreciate that. Having said that nicely to him, I...
Hon. Adam Butler: I am grateful to the right hon. and learned Gentleman for his personal remarks. As I said, the position has not changed over these years, so perhaps the right hon. Gentleman is pursuing a hare which should not be pursued. The right hon. and learned Gentleman was also concerned about the representation on the authority, and pooh-poohed the fact that the chairmen of the industrial training...
Hon. Adam Butler: I beg to move, That the draft Industrial Training (Northern Ireland) Order 1984, which was laid before this House on 24th May, be approved. This is an important and seemingly fairly lengthy order. Nevertheless, its purpose is relatively simple. In my opening remarks I shall deal with its main provisions, and doubtless the finer details will be teased out as the House wishes during the debate....
Hon. Adam Butler: The leader of the Official Unionists said that there would be a Division later. Will the Labour party vote with or against the Government?
Hon. Adam Butler: It would take too long to deal with specific cases from the Front Bench, but the circumstances described by the hon. Gentleman illustrate the position of the small farmer, whom we hope that the outgoers scheme will help, because we have provided 5 per cent. purchaser quotas, which have the prime purpose of helping the small producer and the special case. Secondly if the expansion that the...
Hon. Adam Butler: Does the hon. Gentleman suggest that there should be a general consumer council with the exception of an electricity council that would be separate?
Hon. Adam Butler: As always, the hon. Gentleman is making an extremely worthwhile speech from his own experience. I do not mean to be rude, but he is also going into some intricate detail, as always. My hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State who will wind up—my hon. Friend the Member for Bath (Mr. Patten) —did a first-class job in answering the Adjournment debate the other night. I think that he will...
Hon. Adam Butler: The right hon. Gentleman has referred to his frequent repetition of this argument. I do not want to pursue him down this path. However, I have never yet been clear, although I have indeed heard this argument many times, whether or not the right hon. Gentleman is complaining that too much time is given on the Floor of the House to debating Northern Ireland matters.
Hon. Adam Butler: I hope that the House will allow me to intervene for a few moments, because it would be fairer to my hon. Friends to answer the points raised by the right hon. and learned Gentleman. I am well aware of the anxiety about the future of the Lear Fan project, and I have been kept closely in touch with developments during my absence. What matters first and foremost is that there should be an...
Hon. Adam Butler: I beg to move, That the draft Appropriation (No. 2) (Northern Ireland) Order 1984, which was laid before this House on 9th May, be approved. The order is being made under schedule 1(1) to the Northern Ireland Act 1974. Its purpose is to authorise the issue of £1,605 million out of the Consolidated Fund of Northern Ireland and to appropriate this sum for the purposes shown in the schedule....
Hon. Adam Butler: I do not want to give my hon. Friend the Member for Epping Forest (Sir J. Biggs-Davison) the wrong answer. My impression is that they are slightly lower than those on the mainland, but my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State will confirm that later. The provisions sought in Votes 1 and 4 provide for the start of a major initiative in secondary schools. This is envisaged as...
Hon. Adam Butler: Yes. A number of suggestions have been made by and on behalf of the industry, and we are considering them urgently.
Hon. Adam Butler: It is exactly because of the special problems of Northern Ireland that we are considering the type of measures to relieve some of the difficulties to which I have referred. I can go no further than that at this stage.
Hon. Adam Butler: No, Sir.
