Oral Answers to Questions — Minister of Housing and Local Government(Speech)

– in the House of Commons am 12:00 am ar 7 Mai 1964.

Danfonwch hysbysiad imi am ddadleuon fel hyn

Photo of Mr Willie Hamilton Mr Willie Hamilton , Fife West 12:00, 7 Mai 1964

asked the Prime Minister whether the public speech made by the Minister of Housing and Local Government in London on Wednesday, 29th April, to the Town and Country Planning Association on the Government's plan for South-East England represents the policy of Her Majesty's Government.

Photo of Mr Willie Hamilton Mr Willie Hamilton , Fife West

Does the Prime Minister recollect that the Minister said in that speech that it was estimated that 270,000 immigrants from Scotland and the North-East would come into the South-East between now and 1981? Is the Prime Minister aware that there is a good deal of concern, certainly in Scotland and, I believe, in the North-East, about this tacit admission by the Government that immigration to the South-East is inevitable from Scotland and the North-East and that the most the Government hope to do is to slow it down?

Photo of Sir Alec Douglas-Home Sir Alec Douglas-Home , Kinross and West Perthshire

The figure given by my right hon. Friend was that of immigration into the South-East from all over Britain. What we are trying to do is to arrest the drift from Scotland and the North-East. I have here some figures of applications by industrialists to go to Scotland and they are very encouraging. I hope that the hon. Gentleman will help us try to get industry to Scotland and not write it down all the time.

Mr. J. Wells:

Is my right hon. Friend aware that people in the South-East are more concerned about immigration from overseas than from within the United Kingdom? Is he also aware that we are most anxious about the rate of school building in the South-East?

Photo of Sir Alec Douglas-Home Sir Alec Douglas-Home , Kinross and West Perthshire

Of course, there will be a great increase of population in the next 35 years in Britain as a whole—about 14 million—and about a quarter of that, or 3 million, will be in the South-East.

Photo of Mr Douglas Jay Mr Douglas Jay , Battersea North

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that what worries us is that the Government's plans now provide for an increase in the rate of immigration into the South-East over the next 20 years?

Photo of Sir Alec Douglas-Home Sir Alec Douglas-Home , Kinross and West Perthshire

Our plans do not provide for that. They recognise what is likely to happen. We are trying to do our best, through our regional policies, to prevent an undue flow of population from the North-East and Scotland. If the right hon. Gentleman thinks that he should direct people where to go, that is a different matter.

Photo of Mr Gilbert Longden Mr Gilbert Longden , South West Hertfordshire

In view of the expected very large increase in population, will my right hon. Friend consider inaugurating, instead of family allowances, big bonuses for bachelors?