Sir Rolf Williams: Although I am particularly interested in one Amendment, I should like to refer to the matter raised by the hon. and learned Member for Northampton (Mr. Paget). I think that our people are extremely concerned and gravely worried about the increase in the use of firearms in the pursuit of crime, and that there is a very valid reason today why this particular type of offence should, when it...
Sir Rolf Williams: asked the Minister of Transport what recent talks he has had with Dr. Beeching on transport problems.
Sir Rolf Williams: Is the right hon. Gentleman quite certain that he knows the views of Dr. Beeching about the line from Salisbury to Exeter? Will he discuss this problem with the successor to Dr. Beeching before any final decision is made about the line?
Sir Rolf Williams: Would the right hon. Gentleman say that he has in mind any intention of closing this line?
Sir Rolf Williams: Will the Minister of State tell the House what are the mechanics of export?
Sir Rolf Williams: If the hon. and learned Gentleman does not succeed in negotiating new double taxation reliefs, will he allow the present situation to continue, or will he maintain the withholding tax of 40 per cent. as against the Americans' 15 per cent.?
Sir Rolf Williams: Is not the real reason for the delay that the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs may find that he is without a job and that someone is installed in his place within a short time?
Sir Rolf Williams: Can my hon. Friend say whether any of those who supported him in the past are among the seven Government Members in the Committee at the moment?
Sir Rolf Williams: My hon. and gallant Friend will realise that the Assistant Postmaster-General is here today. He has just put the cost of postage up 33â per cent.
Sir Rolf Williams: What about Irish whiskey?
Sir Rolf Williams: On a point of order. Surely my hon. Friend, in drawing attention to the fact that the reason for these taxes was the questionable behaviour of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, was in order.
Sir Rolf Williams: I have listened to discussions on this type of Amendment many times since I have been a Member of Parliament. I have listened to about 15 Budgets. On practically every one of those there were debates on the question of an impost on alcoholic liquors and on tobacco. When I watch a Chancellor of the Exchequer struggling against criticism of these taxes, if I can find anything to say to...
Sir Rolf Williams: I must confess that that is a tribute which is often paid to me, certainly by my hon. Friends. My experience is that during some of my speeches hon. Members opposite make different remarks. I see that I have already succeeded in driving the Chancellor from the Chamber. Not only has the Chancellor succeeded in getting a few extra Members into the Committee. He has brought off a greater...
Sir Rolf Williams: I was afraid that you might find it necessary to draw my attention to that fact, Sir Herbert. I shall, therefore, leave the remainder of my remarks to the interesting speech which I propose to make on a later occasion, perhaps on the Third Reading. If we are to discuss these Amendments, it is important that we should have with us the Ministers responsible for guiding the economic affairs of...
Sir Rolf Williams: I beg your pardon, Sir Herbert. I was trying to confine my remarks more closely to the Amendment. I say to the Government that to increase taxation does not increase production. The more that taxation is increased the more stagnation we get. This proposal is just another of the techniques which the Socialists always employ. My party believes in the alternative, that by reducing taxation we...
Sir Rolf Williams: Surely, what the Home Secretary is saying is that because he cannot get the whole cake he will not take a piece of it. When we discussed the Homicide Bill the right hon. and learned Gentleman, as an abolitionist, wanted complete abolition. Because that was not possible, he accepted that certain murders would still be capital murders. The House of Commons has decided that life imprisonment is...
Sir Rolf Williams: I hope that I shall not be interrupted too much, otherwise I may have to address the Committee for rather a long time. It is not my intention to intervene for more than a very short time, but I wish to refer to Amendment No. 38, which we are discussing with Amendment No. 302, because for some time I was the president of the commercial travellers' association of Exeter. Therefore, I have a...
Sir Rolf Williams: I will come to the farmers later in my speech. I was intending to leave the Committee shortly, but I was not fortunate enough to persuade an hon. Member on the Government side to come with me. I wish to speak on behalf of this sorely pressed section of our society, the commercial travellers. It seems to me that without any doubt, anyone who uses a vehicle in the course of their ordinary...
Sir Rolf Williams: The Minister refers to the definition … not commonly used as private vehicles … Dozens of my friends use vans as private vehicles. How can one say that a van should attract an initial allowance, but an estate car for the conveyance of a commercial traveller's products should not? The definition is appalling.
Sir Rolf Williams: I want to get this straight. If a doctor employs a van to go on his rounds he would have the initial allowance—is that so? Because, if it is so, it should be well-known to the medical fraternity that the doctor so using a van will be allowed the initial allowance. Could the hon. Gentleman answer that specifically?