Mr Frederick Gough: asked the Minister of Transport what steps are being taken to repair the bomb damage at the north end of Southwark bridge; and whether he is aware that a bottleneck exists at this point.
Mr Frederick Gough: Would my hon. Friend bear in mind that this obstruction has existed since the end of the war? It consists of two Bailey bridges and only 20 yards away there is a tram terminus where, at busy hours, there is a seething mass of pedestrians and general danger to life and limb. Would he consider these as matters of serious import?
Mr Frederick Gough: asked the Minister of Agriculture how many official motor cars are used by officials of his Department; how many motor cars are used by officials of the county agricultural committees; and if he will consider what economies can be made, particularly in the substitution of motor cycles wherever possible.
Mr Frederick Gough: Would my right hon. and gallant Friend agree with me that this is still a rather formidable figure. and in the interests not only of general saving but of the saving of petrol, would he consider further reductions? I am glad to hear that he will consider the use of motor cycles.
Mr Frederick Gough: asked the Minister of National Insurance to what extent his regulations permit National Assistance to be paid to persons without a permanent address.
Mr Frederick Gough: Is my right hon. Friend aware that in some cases the rules are interpreted to mean that no National Assistance can be given where the recipient is homeless? Would he look into any cases I might send to him?
Mr Frederick Gough: I think that this is a matter of importance. The hon. Member said that it is an extraordinary thing that, having taken over the industry from private shareholders, the industry should pay back the money which represents the shareholding of that industry. I should like to have that matter made clear.
Mr Frederick Gough: Is my hon. Friend aware that there is considerable apprehension with regard to the Gatwick proposal amongst the inhabitants of the new town of Crawley? Can my hon. Friend give an assurance that he will proceed slowly in order to avoid any unnecessary inconvenience and annoyance to people in that very important new town?
Mr Frederick Gough: On a point of order. Is what the hon. Lady is saying within the limits of the Amendment?
Mr Frederick Gough: I feel immensely encouraged by the speech made by my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Angus, South (Captain Duncan). I, too, am a layman and I was rather trembling on the brink among this galaxy of legal eminence. Further, I have an apology to make to my hon. and learned Friend the Member for York (Mr. Hylton-Foster) for not being here when he opened the debate. That was entirely due to...
Mr Frederick Gough: It is not my intention to follow the hon. Member for Dudley (Mr. Wigg) very far, because there is nothing to follow. Indeed, I feel that the connection his speech had with the subject we are debating is that, like war, it is entirely destructive and a complete waste of time. It is my intention to address the House for a short time on the subject of an arm of the Service in which I served and...
Mr Frederick Gough: In regard to the case of the Prudential Assurance Company, I have not the facts with me, but I wonder whether the hon. Gentleman has taken into the figure which he has given the amassed life funds of that company, which, of course, belong to the policy-holders and not the shareholders.
Mr Frederick Gough: This will go into HANSARD and it is apt to be misread. The hon. Member suggested that if somebody put £200 into the Prudential Assurance Company when it was started, the holding would now be worth over £1 million. If the hon. Member will forgive my saying so, that is a complete misstatement. The figure which the hon. Member has mentioned represents the savings of poor people all over the...
Mr Frederick Gough: I am sure that the Leader of the Opposition will forgive me if I do not follow him very closely, but for me today is a very important occasion. For a very large number of right hon. and hon. Gentlemen, it is an experience—perhaps not a very agreeable experience—but an experience which, by now, they have relegated to the dim recesses of the memory: but for me it is a stark reality, and I...
Mr Frederick Gough: asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if, in view of the necessity to curtail Government expenditure, particularly of dollars, he will make inquiries as to what economies can be effected in the Information Services at the British Embassy in Washington.
Mr Frederick Gough: Will my right hon. Friend give the assurance that, in the meantime, he will see that no unnecessary expenditure is incurred in publications the material of which is open to our Press?
Mr Frederick Gough: asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies in view of the fact that the perpetrators of the atrocities in Malaya are usually dressed in Communist uniforms, he will arrange for them not to be described in official reports merely as bandits.
