Part of the debate – in the House of Commons am 12:00 am ar 18 Rhagfyr 1973.
I shall ask my right hon. and hon. Friends at the Department of Trade and Industry to listen carefully to what my hon. Friend the Member for Isle of Thanet says, but I believe that a spokesman for Weatherbys said on the radio today that they could manage, even though with difficulty and for a short time. But I will have that matter looked into.
The hon. Member for Oldham, East (Mr. James Lamond) asked what action we had taken. Under the new regulations taken last week, so far we have taken no new action. Under the previous regulations, which lasted for the month until last week, we took action to control floodlighting, the amount of heating, and so forth, and the allocation of oil and petrol supplies, and we imposed the 50 m.p.h. speed limit, and so on. Those actions are now carried on under the Fuel and Electricity (Control) Act and not under the emergency regulations. Therefore, the emergency regulations are not being used at all now, but they were used in the first month. The main reason why we feel that we need them over the next few weeks may be in connection with certain transport services. However, I repeat that we shall not use them unless we have to do so.
I assure the hon. Member for Oldham, East that the Government have no intention of using the law against trade unionists. He fairly said that it might not be the case, but he was reporting what people felt about the situation. We shall do all that we can to take away that feeling. I cannot do more than give that assurance. I appreciate the feelings that were aroused by the Colchester incident, to which the hon. Gentleman referred.
In this context, I think that I am entitled to say today, when, alas, we have had further bomb incidents in this country, that the trouble at Colchester was potentially a question of another bomb. When we are looking for people who may be planning and carrying out that kind of activity we must be prepared to have our affairs inquired into far more than would normally be acceptable. If I were a member of a coach party I hope that I would understand if, in those circumstances, I was examined by the police, but I might be rather angry if we were not living—temporarily, I trust—in that kind of context. I believe that in that situation the majority of people would think it right for the police to make inquiries on a scale—and, perhaps in an intrusive way—that would not normally be acceptable as their practice.
One of the evils that terrorists bring into society is that by their very methods they draw people who love liberty and are great defenders of civil rights into having to allow things to happen simply to protect themselves against terrorism of this kind. Without going into a great dissertation, I repeat my assurance that we do not intend to operate the law against trade unionists.
The hon. Member for Paddington, North (Mr. Latham) said that these regulations might be all right on a once-in-a-lifetime basis, but not if they had to be used seven times in three and a half years. What we have needed seven times in three and a half years has been the ability to use them. Luckily, we have had to use them only to a small extent in those seven months.
The greater use of these powers can be said to be the fault of a particular Government. However that may be, I believe that it is also part and parcel of a basic change not only in conditions, but in the tempo in industry whereby, in a modern technological society, small groups of people can threaten the very
life of a community in a way which was not possible until recently. Indeed, the basic safeguard is that no Government can ask for these emergency powers unless they can satisfy the House that they are required to deal with
events of such a nature as to be calculated, by interfering with the supply and distribution of food, water, fuel or light, or with the means of locomotion, to deprive the community, or any substantial portion of the community, of the essentials of life.
That is the basic condition before one can ask for these or any other regulations to be made. Given that basic condition, I do not think that one can do with much less than the regulations that we have. Nevertheless, the job of the House of Commons is to be critical about this sort of thing, and I do not object to that basic question being asked.