Mr John Ellis: When the Minister next meets the chairman of the Post Office will he impress upon him that in my constituency there is under construction the biggest bridge in the world? I refer to the Humber bridge. We have asked him to commemorate that by the issue of a stamp, but he seems slow to take up the point. As it looks as though the bridge will be further delayed for a year, may we have the...
Mr John Ellis: asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the figures for indictable offences recorded by the police in England and Wales in 1978, as compared with 1977.
Mr John Ellis: As there are many who are concerned about the state of law and order, will my right hon. Friend explain why the media have not made a great song and dance about the figures? They have been hardly mentioned. Why have not the Opposition and others drawn attention to the figures? Has not my right hon. Friend publicised them to the media? Perhaps I should be criticising him. The figures represent...
Mr John Ellis: Does the Lord President agree that this uproar could have been foreseen, because Conservative Members do not want the election on the same day as the local elections? They want the local elections to be held later, so that there will be a poor turnout. Generally, people in this country would like the convenience of going to the elections once, as there will be many elections this...
Mr John Ellis: Will the Minister confirm that it depends on how much is put on petrol if it replaces vehicle excise duty? The question is open to representation. Will he therefore take note that it could have a beneficial effect, or otherwise, on rural dwellers or on anybody? Will he take that into account when he makes the decision, or perhaps point it out to the Treasury?
Mr John Ellis: Shot down!
Mr John Ellis: Mr. John Ellis (Brigg and Scunthorpe) rose—
Mr John Ellis: I am grateful to the hon. Member for Essex, South-East (Sir B. Braine) for allowing me a little time to take part in this debate, because he mentioned my constituency. I realise that the situation on Canvey is very serious, but there is an additional point of which my hon. Friend the Undersecretary of State should take note. We are in an unfortunate area now, because there appears to be a...
Mr John Ellis: Is not the Minister aware that there is a real problem where local authorities, under the statute, have to consider planning applications within a certain time? On the other hand, by statute, they have to consider all points appertaining to the question. There have been cases, particularly involving Glanford borough council, which, I understand, reached ill-advised decisions in regard to...
Mr John Ellis: On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker. I have not raised a point of order so far on what happened before the Division. I seek to raise a different point of order. Two hon. Gentleman have already raised points of order on the question whether the documents were taken together or separately. I believe that you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, quite correctly informed the House, and the House so agreed...
Mr John Ellis: When the Commission has carried out its immediate work of comparison, will it be able to make comments on the efficacy of such matters as allowing workers in the public sector, particularly those who do not strike, to follow the normal wage drift, whatever it may be in any year? Is my right hon. Friend aware that that was the practice in the Civil Service and that it stood the country in good...
Mr John Ellis: Does not the Minister agree that industrial relations in the National Health Service and in the public sector generally would be improved if we could revert to the old system whereby the level of wage settlements was decided in any one year, with this sector following on behind. That system was broken by Selwyn Lloyd. It would do a lot to help the nurses and all public service workers if we...
Mr John Ellis: I speak as someone who was on the Select Committee and who has come to listen to the debate. Surely someone must undertake this engineering work. Everyone is agreed that there will be another channel whether it is under the auspices of the OBA, IBA or BBC. The engineering work must be done. Anyone who knows something of this matter cannot but agree that those organisations have the technical...
Mr John Ellis: The case that my hon. Friend makes out is a very compelling one. It would be a tragedy, would he not agree, if we just stuck another broadcasting facility on the existing transmitters that would produce more of the same thing? Would that not be the danger, whether it was the BBC, the IBA or anything that is more of the same thing? On the engineering side, it is necessary, does he not agree,...
Mr John Ellis: Most speakers in the debate have vested interests of one kind of another which they have declared. Some hon. Members run advertising agencies, some own stations and some have made films. In order to prevent my hon. Friend the Member for Keighley (Mr. Cryer) from getting restive, let me say that he falls, with a few of us, into the lilywhite category—those who have some knowledge, but are...
Mr John Ellis: Is my hon. Friend aware that the hon. Member for Louth (Mr. Brotherton) is an extremely Right-wing Conservative and that his concern is that the height of the bridge above the tide at all levels should be sufficient to allow the passage of gunboats?
Mr John Ellis: rose—
Mr John Ellis: No. 25, Sir.
Mr John Ellis: I am one of those hon. Members who do not presume on your courtesy, Mr. Speaker. Will my right hon. Friend comment on the fact that in region no. 10, based on Hull, a settlement was reached on the first day of the road haulage dispute and that it was only the road hauliers accepting the instructions of their London office to renege on that obligation that cost us anything in that dispute in...
Mr John Ellis: asked the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to hold a public inquiry into the proposed closure of the Humber ferry.
