Briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: Speeding Motorists, Tuition Fees, Cannabis/Drugs, Defence Projects and Polls.
Speeding Motorists
Asked if the Government was considering varying penalty points for different motoring offences, the PMOS said that, in his interview in the Times, the Home Secretary had not been advocating a change in the law. He had been making some general comments about the need for legislation to command public confidence. Whilst all areas of Government policy remained under constant review, as you would expect, there was nothing specific he could point to in terms of plans to vary penalty points. Put to him that Mr Blunkett had said that he was looking into ’sophisticated’ alternatives to the existing policy, the PMOS said that the Department for Transport was currently looking at the location of speed cameras. However, there were no plans to change the existing penalty structure. Put to him that the Home Secretary had been indicating that he was in favour of proportionate punishment for speeding offences, the PMOS said that Mr Blunkett’s interview in the Times had been fairly wide-ranging and had dealt generally with the need to command public confidence in terms of legislation. That was what the Government would continue to seek to do. There were no plans to change the current policy.
Tuition Fees
Asked if he would agree that there was a contradiction between Charles Clarke’s certainty that the Government would win the vote on tuition fees and the Chief Whip’s comment to Cabinet that the Government would lose as things stood, the PMOS said that it was not for him to brief on what the Chief Whip had said. He did not dispute the comments. It was clear that there was still a hill to climb. Ministers, from the Prime Minister down, would continue to engage, discuss and debate with colleagues between now and next Tuesday. There was no absolutely complacency about the issue. Equally, there was a determination to get the legislation through because we believed that what was being proposed was fair, balanced and right, for all the reasons we had set out many times in recent weeks.
Asked if the Prime Minister would be working the phones over the weekend to ‘persuade waverers’, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister would obviously continue to be very much involved in the issue in the run up to next Tuesday, although there was nothing specific to which he could draw journalists’ attention. The Prime Minister had been talking to people over the past fortnight and would continue do so. Questioned as to whether he would hold meetings with parliamentary colleagues on Sunday, the PMOS said he wouldn’t lead journalists down that road.
Asked if the Government would simply include tuition fees again in the next Queen’s Speech if the vote were lost on Tuesday, the PMOS said he understood journalists’ temptation to ask about hypothetical scenarios. However, we were continuing to work to get the legislation through. Should we have to address any other issues, we could do so at the appropriate time. It certainly wasn’t now.
Cannabis/Drugs
Asked if the Government was considering stronger punishments for users of heroin, as reported in today’s Independent, the PMOS said that it wasn’t our policy to comment on leaked documents. However, to put the issue into context, the Government was looking constantly to see what more it could do to tackle the scourge of drugs. As evidenced by the debate we had been having in recent days, both the Government and the police were focussing their attention and energy on Class A drugs that did the most damage. We were also examining how we could get more heroin users into treatment. As a result of the Criminal Justice Interventions Programme, much was already being done to stop the revolving door of drug-taking, offending and drug-taking again. Asked to set out details of the action which the Government was taking, the PMOS said it should come as no surprise to anyone that there were parts of Government whose responsibility it was to look at issues over the longer term, to come up with ideas and to think radical thoughts. That did not mean that every idea became Government policy. However, it was clearly part of good Government to have a Strategy Unit which looked at issues in the longer term.
Asked if the Prime Minister felt that the cannabis reclassification issue had gone well in the light of press reporting, the PMOS said that it wasn’t our job to give a commentary on media coverage of different issues. The important point was that the Government had made the right policy judgement and that reclassification had been the right thing to do. Cannabis was not the same as amphetamine, heroin or crack. It was important to recognise the difference between Class A, Class B and Class C drugs and to make sure that the drugs policy, as underpinned by the work of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, was consistent around the country. Asked if the Prime Minister believed that it was important to get the right message across to the public, the PMOS said we recognised that there was always a need for explanation at a time when a policy was being changed. That was why an information campaign was currently running and why Ministers had been doing interviews.
Defence Projects
Asked to confirm reports that BAE would be denied the contract to replace the RAF’s refuelling aircraft, as reported in today’s FT, the PMOS said that it wouldn’t be helpful to comment in advance of an announcement being made by the MOD. Asked if the Government would have any objection to giving the contract to a French and German consortium, the PMOS said that there were well known procurement tendering processes which the Government had to go through. He had absolutely no intention of pre-empting any decisions.
Polls
Asked if, despite the fact that we never commented on polls, the Prime Minister had any thoughts about the latest survey on his popularity, the PMOS referred the journalist to the first part of his question.
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