Tag: HM Queen Elizabeth II

The speech made by HM Queen Elizabeth II in the House of Lords on 25 June 1987.

My Lords and Members of the House of Commons,

I look forward with great pleasure to receiving His Majesty King Hassan II of Morocco, and His Excellency President Cossiga of Italy on State visits this year. I also look forward to being present on the occasion of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Canada in October and to visiting Australia in connection with the bicentenary next year.

My Government will stand fully by their obligations to the NATO Alliance. They will sustain Britain’s contribution to Western defence by modernising the independent nuclear deterrent through the introduction of the Trident submarine programme and by increasing the effectiveness of the nation’s conventional forces.

My Government will strive for balanced and verifiable measures of arms control. They strongly support the United States’ proposals for the elimination of intermediate range nuclear missiles, and 50 per cent. reductions in American and Soviet strategic nuclear weapons. They will strive for a worldwide ban on chemical weapons. They will seek balanced reductions leading to lower levels of conventional forces throughout Europe and the elimination of disparities which threaten Western security.

My Government will work for greater trust and confidence between East and West and for progress, especially on human rights, at the Vienna Review Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe.

My Government will play a leading role in the development of the European Community while safeguarding Britain’s essential national interests. They will work for reform of the common agricultural policy. They will press for strict controls on Community spending and the opening of the market in financial and other services. They will work with our European partners to defend our trading interests and to press for freer trade among all nations.

My Government will sustain the fight against international terrorism and trafficking in drugs. They will stand by their pledges to the people of the Falkland Islands, while seeking more normal relations with Argentina. They will fulfil their responsibilities to the people of Hong Kong and will continue to co-operate with the Chinese Government to carry out the Sino-British Joint Declaration. They will play their full part in the United Nations and the Commonwealth. They will seek peaceful and lasting solutions to the most difficult international problems, including those of the middle east and southern Africa. They will work for the restoration of an independent and non-aligned Afghanistan.

My Government will maintain their substantial aid programme. They will pursue proposals for international action on debt to help some of the poorest countries of sub-Saharan Africa.

Members of the House of Commons,

Estimates for the public service will be laid before you.

My Lords and Members of the House of Commons,

My Government will continue to pursue policies of sound financial management designed further to reduce inflation and to promote enterprise and increased employment. They will maintain firm control of public expenditure so that it continues to fall as a proportion of national income and permits further reductions in the burden of taxation. Legislation will be brought forward shortly to implement the tax changes proposed in the last Budget but not yet enacted.

My Government will consult the Manpower Services Commission with a view to providing a comprehensive employment service for unemployed people. There will be guaranteed places on the youth training scheme for school leavers under 18 who do not go into employment. Legislation will be introduced to enable benefit to be withheld from those who refuse a place.

My Government will take action to raise standards throughout education and to extend parental choice. Legislation will be introduced to provide for a national curriculum for schools, delegation of school budgets and greater autonomy for schools. It will also reform the structure of education in inner London, give greater independence to polytechnics and certain other colleges and support the establishment of city technology colleges.

Measures will be brought before you to effect a major reform of housing legislation in England and Wales.

In all these policies, my Government will have special regard to the needs of inner cities. Action will he taken to encourage investment and to increase enterprise and employment in those areas.

A Bill will be introduced to abolish domestic rates in England and Wales and to make new arrangements fir the finance of local government.

Measures will he introduced to promote further competition in the provision of local authorities’ services.

Legislation will be introduced to enable the water and sewerage functions of the water authorities in England and Wales to he privatised.

My Government remain determined to tackle the problems of crime. They will carry out their plans to increase the resources available to the police, and will establish a national organisation to promote crime prevention. A Bill will he introduced to improve the working of criminal justice.

A Bill will be introduced to reinforce the system of firm but fair immigration control.

Legislation will be introduced to give greater flexibility in licensing hours.

Legislation will be introduced to improve the rights of individual members with respect to their trade unions and to provide further protection against trade union enforcement of closed shops.

A Bill will be introduced to reform the law of copyright and intellectual property.

My Government will maintain and improve the health and social services and will complete the introduction of the reformed social security system.

My Government will continue to support farming. They will help farmers to diversify, and will introduce legislation to encourage the planting of farm woodlands.

Legislation will be introduced to improve the provision of rented housing in Scotland. Measures will be introduced to strengthen schools councils in Scotland and to improve the management of Scottish education.

In Northern Ireland, my Government will seek an agreed basis on which greater responsibility can be devolved to representatives of the people. They will work unremittingly for the defeat of terrorism. They will build upon the constructive relations established with the Republic of Ireland in security and other matters.

Measures will be introduced to assist the merchant shipping industry.

My Government will bring forward legislation to improve the arrangements for legal aid.

Other measures will be laid before you.

My Lords and Members of the House of Commons, I pray that the blessing of Almighty God may rest upon your counsels.

The speech made by HM Queen Elizabeth II in the House of Lords on 12 November 1986.

My Lords, and Members of the House of Commons,

I look forward with much pleasure to receiving His Majesty King Fand of Saudi Arabia and His Majesty King Hassan of Morocco on State visits during the next twelve months.

I also look forward to visiting Berlin in May during that city’s 750th anniversary year and to being present on the occasion of the Commonwealth Head of Government Meeting in Canada.

My Government will continue to attach the highest importance to national security and to preserving peace with freedom and justice. They will maintain the United Kingdom’s own defences and play an active part in the Atlantic Alliance.

My Government will work for new agreements on arms control and disarmament. They will seek greater co-operation and trust between East and West and work for progress at the Vienna Review Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe.

My Government will hold the Presidency of the Council of Ministers of the European Community until the end of this year. Within the Community they will work to promote enterprise and employment; to remove barriers to internal trade; for improvements in world trade rules; and for continuing reform of the Common Agricultural Policy.

My Government will honour their commitments to the people of the Falkland Islands while continuing to seek more normal relations with Argentina. They will discharge their obligations to the people of Hong Kong and will work closely with the Chinese Government to carry out the SinoBritish Joint Declaration. They will stand by their commitment to the people of Gibraltar.

My Government will continue to work for peaceful and fundamental change in South Africa, in consultation with their partners in the European Community and with the Commonwealth. They will support Namibian independence. They will look for solutions to the problems of the Middle East. They will support attempts to achieve settlements in Afghanistan, in Cambodia, in Cyprus and in Central America.

My Government will make vigorous efforts to combat international terrorism and trafficking in drugs.

My Government will play a constructive role in the Commonwealth and at the United Nations. They will maintain a substantial aid programme, play their part in the relief of famine and other natural disasters and encourage investment in the developing countries.

Members of the House of Commons,

Estimates for the Public Service will be laid before you.

My Lords and Members of the House of Commons,

My Government’s firm monetary and fiscal policies will continue to restrain inflation and foster the conditions for further sustained economic growth. Within that framework, my Government will continue to promote enterprise, the growth of employment and the education and training of young people.

My Government will maintain firm control of public expenditure, so that it may continue to fall as a proportion of the Nation’s income and permit further reductions in the burden of taxation. Consistently with this, my Government will continue to seek better value for money in public spending, so that vital services may be further improved.

Action will be taken to further privatisation, both to improve economic efficiency and to encourage wider share ownership.

Legislation will be introduced to improve the system for the supervision of banks.

A Bill will be brought forward to improve the working of criminal justice, to implement certain recommendations made by the Committee on Fraud Trials and to make further provision for the confiscation of the proceeds of crime.

Measures will be proposed to promote further competition in order to secure greater efficiency in the provision of local authorities’ services and to improve the basis for the payment of rate support grant in England and Wales.

Legislation will be brought before you to repeal the Remuneration of Teachers Act 1965 and to introduce new arrangements to settle schoolteachers’ pay, duties and conditions of service within the resources available.

A Bill will be introduced to extend the rights of people living in privately owned flats in England and Wales.

A Bill will be introduced to facilitate the conservation and management of the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads.

Legislation will be introduced to provide further financial assistance to support the coal industry’s progress to commercial viability and to enable fair representation of the workforce.

Measures will be proposed to bring up to date the arrangements regulating oil and gas installations and operations.

Measures will be brought forward further to reform family law in England and Wales.

A Bill will be introduced to modify the system for the control of fire risks and to make further provision for safety at sports grounds.

For Scotland, Bills will be introduced to abolish domestic rates, to reform the enforcement of debts due under court orders, and to make various improvements to criminal justice.

My Government will continue through the Anglo-Irish Agreement to co-operate with the Government of the Republic of Ireland. They will encourage elected representatives in Northern Ireland to search for an agreed basis for the return to a devolved administration. They will continue to encourage economic and industrial development. A Bill will be introduced to amend Northern Ireland legislation against terrorism.

Measures will be proposed to reform the administration of marine pilotage.

Legislation will again be brought before you to enable construction of a Channel Tunnel. A Bill will be introduced to authorise the construction of a third crossing of the Thames at Dartford.

Measures will be proposed to strengthen the law on consumer protection.

Other measures will be laid before you.

My Lords and Members of the House of Commons,

I pray that the blessing of almighty God may rest upon your counsels.

The speech made by HM Queen Elizabeth II in the House of Lords on 6 November 1984.

My Lords and Members of the House of Commons,

I look forward with great pleasure to receiving the President of Malawi and the President of Mexico on State Visits during the next twelve months, to paying a State Visit to Portugal in March, and to visiting the Caribbean in the autumn on the occasion of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in the Bahamas.

My Government consider as their highest priority the maintenance of national security and the preservation of peace. They will accordingly continue to play an active part in the Atlantic Alliance. They will promote Western defence interests outside the NATO area. They will make vigorous efforts to combat international terrorism.

With the allies of the United Kingdom, my Government will contribute to arms control and disarmament negotiations and will work for the resumption of negotiations where these have been broken off. They will work continually for a greater atmosphere of trust between East and West.

Following the agreement at Fontainebleau on the fairer sharing of the Community’s budget burden and on the overall control of Community spending, my Government look forward to the further development of the European Community. They will continue to press for improvements in the Common Agricultural Policy and for completion of the common market in goods and services. They will work for the early conclusion of the negotiations to enable Spain and Portugal to join the Community, and to conclude a new agreement to succeed the Lomé Convention.

My Government will continue fully to discharge their obligations to the people of the Falkland Islands, while seeking more normal relations between this country and Argentina. They will consider the views expressed by the people of Hong Kong on the draft agreement with China, and report to Parliament. They reaffirm their commitment to the people of Gibraltar and hope to see the early implementation of the Lisbon statement.

My Government will continue to work for a settlement in Namibia, a solution to the Arab/Israel dispute and the restoration of the independence and non-aligned status of Afghanistan.

My Government will continue fully to support the Commonwealth, to play a constructive role at the United Nations, to maintain a substantial aid programme, and to encourage investment in developing countries.

My Government will continue to work closely with other nations and international institutions to strengthen and spread economic recovery; and to co-operate on issues connected with the settlement of international debts.

Members of the House of Commons,

Estimates for the Public Service will be laid before you.

My Lords and Members of the House of Commons,

My Government will continue to pursue policies founded on sound money and lower public borrowing and aimed at securing a further reduction in inflation. While noting that the numbers of people in work are steadily rising, my Government remains deeply concerned about unemployment and will continue policies designed to achieve better opportunities for employment and to help the unemployed obtain the training or work experience needed to fill them.

Firm control of public spending will be maintained. My Government will work for a more flexible and competitive economy through lower taxation, further reform of the tax system, increased efficiency in the public sector and encouragement of initiative and enterprise which will sustain rising living standards.

In order to promote efficiency and growth, my Government will continue their policies of exposing state-owned businesses to competition and, where appropriate, returning them to the private sector. A Bill will be introduced to increase competition in the provision of local bus services in Great Britain and to transfer to the private sector the operations of the National Bus Company.

A Bill will be introduced to increase competition in retail banking by completing the transition of the Trustee Savings Banks to private sector status.

Bills will be introduced to reform insolvency law in England and Wales, and in Scotland, and to remove the statutory levy on cinema admissions and establish an environment for the film and cinema industries free from regulation.

A Bill will be introduced to abolish the Greater London Council and the metropolitan county councils.

Legislation will be introduced to extend the franchise to certain British citizens resident abroad, to change absent voting arrangements in order to enable those on holiday to vote, and to increase the parliamentary election deposit but reduce the threshold for forfeiture. A Bill will be introduced to establish a national prosecution service independent of the police in England and Wales and to enable the Attorney General to refer Crown Court sentences for the opinion of the Court of Appeal. A further Bill will establish a new and comprehensive statutory framework governing the interception of communications.

Measures will be introduced for the administration of justice in England and Wales and making further reforms in the law following reports of the Law Commission. There will be a measure dealing with the international aspects of child abduction and the custody of children.

A Bill will be introduced to improve the occupational pension rights of people who leave schemes before pensionable age and to ensure that members are able to obtain information about their schemes.

Legislation will be introduced for the better protection of food and the environment.

A Bill will be introduced to give parents of children educated at public expense the right to exempt them from corporal punishment. My Government will continue to develop policies to raise educational standards.

My Government will encourage the constitutional parties in Northern Ireland to consider how powers can be restored to local administration on a basis acceptable to all sides of the community, and will seek to maintain good relations with the Government of the Republic of Ireland. The security forces will continue to receive my Government’s full support. Legislation will be introduced to prevent personation at elections in Northern Ireland.

Bills will be introduced to establish trustee bodies to manage certain Scottish institutions, and to reform Scots law, including provisions on matrimonial property and financial provision on divorce, following Reports by the Scottish Law Commission.

Other measures will be laid before you.

My Lords and Members of the House of Commons,

I pray that the blessing of Almighty God may rest upon your counsels.

The speech made by HM Queen Elizabeth II in the House of Lords on 22 June 1983.

My Lords and Members of the House of Commons,

I look forward with great pleasure to receiving the President of Sri Lanka on a State Visit in October and to paying visits to Kenya, Bangladesh and India in November. I also look forward to being present on the occasion of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in New Delhi in November.

My Government are determined to sustain Britain’s contribution to Western defence. They will play an active and constructive part in the North Atlantic Alliance. They will modernise the existing independent nuclear deterrent with the Trident programme and will maintain adequate conventional forces.

My Government, in co-operation with the United Kingdom’s allies, will work vigorously for balanced and verifiable measures of arms control. They strongly support the United States’ proposals for reductions in nuclear forces. They stand by the NATO decision to counter existing Soviet systems and to begin the deployment of cruise and Pershing II missiles by the end of 1983. The numbers finally deployed will depend upon the outcome of the Geneva talks.

My Government will work constructively for the development of the European Community. They will continue to seek a lasting solution to the budget problem. They will support negotiations for the accession of Spain and Portugal to the Community.

My Government will continue fully to discharge their obligations to the people of the Falkland Islands. They reaffirm their commitment to the people of Gibraltar. They will continue talks with China on the future of Hong Kong, with the aim of reaching a solution acceptable to this Parliament, to China and to the people of Hong Kong.

My Government will continue their full support for the Commonwealth. They will play an active and constructive role at the United Nations. They will promote increased co-operation and trade with developing nations. They will maintain a substantial aid programme directed especially at the poorer countries and will encourage the flow of British private investment.

My Government will work in close co-operation with governments of other countries and with international institutions to promote international recovery on a non-inflationary basis. They will urge the need to preserve and strengthen an open world trading system.

Members of the House of Commons,

Estimates for the Public Service will be laid before you.

My Lords and Members of the House of Commons,

My Government will pursue policies designed to increase economic prosperity and to reduce unemployment. They will seek a further reduction in inflation. They will continue to maintain firm control of public expenditure and a responsible financial strategy based upon sound money and lower public borrowing.

My Government will promote growth in output and opportunities for employment by encouraging industry to be adaptable and efficient, and to compete successfully. Continued attention will be paid to the development and application of new technology. The improvement in training will be sustained. The special employment measures will continue to assist those out of work.

A Bill will be introduced to give trade union members greater control over their unions.

Legislation will be introduced to prepare for the introduction of private finance into nationalised industries, including British Telecommunications, and the Royal Ordnance Factories. Provision will be made for the regulation of telecommunications and the reform of the Telegraph Acts.

Legislation will be introduced to reform the organisation of public transport in London.

Legislation will be brought forward shortly to restore the major tax reductions proposed in the 1983 Budget but not yet enacted.

My Government will encourage the further development of United Kingdom oil and gas resources, and introduce legislation to abolish royalties in new fields. The disposal of the British Gas Corporation’s oil assets will be completed.

My Government will pursue policies which sustain our agricultural, food and fishing industries. Legislation will be introduced to make more farming tenancies available in England and Wales.

Legislation will be brought forward to provide a selective scheme to curb excessive rate increases by individual local authorities, and to provide a general power, to be used if necessary, for the limitation of rate increases for all authorities. Measures to improve the rating system will also be laid before you.

Proposals will be prepared for the abolition of the Greater London Council and the Metropolitan County Councils.

Legislation will be introduced to extend the right of certain public sector and other tenants to buy their homes, and to reform the system of building control in England and Wales.

My Government will remain steadfast in their support for the services which maintain law and order. A Bill will be introduced to replace the existing law on the prevention of terrorism. For England and Wales, legislation will be brought forward to modernise the law on police powers and to amend the law of criminal evidence and on police complaints procedures. Proposals will be prepared for the establishment of an independent prosecution service.

Measures will be brought forward to protect personal information held on computers, and to establish a cable authority and provide a framework for the development of cable systems.

A Bill will be introduced to improve family law and its administration in England and Wales.

Further action will be taken to ensure that patients receive the best value for the money spent on the National Health Service.

My Government will pursue policies for improving standards of education and widening parental choice and influence in relation to schools. Legislation will be introduced to enable grants to be paid to local education authorities in England and Wales for innovations and improvements in the curriculum.

Measures relating to Scotland will include reforms to the rating system and the reform of the law relating to roads.

In Northern Ireland, my Government will continue to give the highest priority to upholding law and order. Through the Northern Ireland Assembly, the people of Northern Ireland will continue to be offered a framework for participation in local democracy and political progress on the basis of widespread acceptance throughout the community.

Other measures will be laid before you.

My Lords and Members of the House of Commons,

I pray that the blessing of Almighty God may rest upon your counsels.

Below is the text of the speech made by Queen Elizabeth II in the House of Lords on 3 November 1982.

My Lords and Members of the House of Commons,

I look forward with great pleasure to my State Visit to Sweden in May and to my visits to Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, and the West Coasts of Mexico, the United States, and Canada in February and March.

My Government consider the security of the nation and the preservation of peace their highest priority. They plan to meet NATO expenditure targets, and to seek more efficient use of the resources of the Alliance. They will honour our worldwide commitments and protect the dependent territories.

My Government will be concerned to encourage the economic development of the Falkland Islands. An appropriate defence force will be maintained there, and at a later stage they will consider, in consultation with the Islanders their future political development and security.

My Government attach great importance to the Commonwealth and the United Nations and will continue to play an active part in both organisations. They are committed to a substantial programme of development aid concentrated on the poorest countries. They will work for balanced and verifiable measures of arms control. They strongly support both the United States proposals for significant reductions in nuclear forces and the other Western proposals on conventional forces.

My Government re-affirm their strong commitment to the European Community, and will continue to play a full part in its development. They will work with determination within the Community to sustain British interests, and, in particular, to achieve a fair solution to the Community budget problem in 1983 and beyond. They will seek early agreement on a revised Common Fisheries Policy and a satisfactory outcome to the reviews of the Community’s Regional and Social Funds. They regard the accession to the Community of Spain and Portugal as an important political objective. They will support efforts to resolve the trade problems which have arisen between the Community and other countries.

My Government will continue to seek an improvement in East/West relations, which have been harmed by events in Afghanistan and Poland. They will also work towards just and lasting solutions to other international problems, in particular in the Middle East, Namibia and Cambodia.

Members of the House of Commons,

Estimates for the Public Service will be laid before you.

My Lords and Members of the House of Commons,

My Government are deeply aware of the anxieties and distress caused by unemployment. Their economic and other policies will be determined by the need to secure a sustainable growth in output, and thus a lasting reduction in the numbers out of work; this will require the achievement of a continuing fall in the rate of inflation.

My Government will maintain the monetary and fiscal policies necessary to achieve these ends, including continued restraint in public spending. They will promote efficiency and good management, especially in their own operations, and will take further steps to encourage initiative and enterprise.

Continued help will be given through special employment measures to those worst affected by unemployment. A new Youth Training Scheme for school leavers will be introduced.

Measures will be brought forward to permit private investment in British Telecommunications, to establish a telecommunications regulatory body and to reform the Telegraph Acts, to encourage private undertakings to generate and supply electricity, and to facilitate the introduction of private capital into British Shipbuilders. Proposals will be prepared for the development and expansion of cable systems.

Legislation will be introduced to encourage improved and better co-ordinated marketing of British food and agricultural produce.

A Bill to protect personal information held on computers will be introduced.

Bills will be introduced to facilitate the international carriage of goods and passengers, and to improve the control of subsidies to public transport in the conurbations. A further Bill will make provision for the construction of a road tunnel across the Conwy Estuary.

A Bill will be introduced to improve the organisation of the water industry in England and Wales.

Legislation will be brought forward to extend the right to buy and to reform the system of building control in England and Wales, and a separate Bill will seek to strengthen the statutory rights of those living in mobile homes.

Legislation will be introduced to enable improvements to be made to the health and social services.

Proposals will be brought forward to amend the law on equal pay in the light of a recent judgment of the European Court.

A Bill will be introduced to establish independent bodies with responsibilities for the management of certain museums and similar institutions, and for functions in relation to ancient monuments and historic buildings.

In Northern Ireland, my Government remain determined to create the conditions for a peaceful and prosperous society. The recently elected Northern Ireland Assembly will give elected representatives the opportunity to scrutinise the day to day workings of Government in the Province and to make recommendations for the resumption of devolved Government.

Measures will be brought forward to reform the Scottish law on mental health, to enable divorce actions to be heard in sheriff courts, and to alter the control of legal aid fees in Scotland.

My Government will continue to support the work of the services for the prevention of crime and the maintenance of law and order. Legislation will be brought forward to modernise police powers in England and Wales whilst providing corresponding safeguards for the citizen, to amend the law of criminal evidence, to reform the police complaints procedure, and to introduce new arrangements for consultation between the police and the community.

Other measures will be laid before you.

My Lords and Members of the House of Commons,

I pray that the blessing of Almighty God may rest upon your counsels.

Below is the text of the speech made by Queen Elizabeth II in the House of Lords on 4 November 1981.

My Lords and Members of the House of Commons,

I look forward with great pleasure to paying a State Visit to Sweden in June and to visiting Australia for the Commonwealth Games, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Nauru, Kiribati, Tuvalu and Fiji in October.

My Government regard the security of the nation and the preservation of peace as matters of the first importance. Increased resources will be devoted to defence and the most efficient use made of them. My Government will continue to play an active role within the North Atlantic Alliance.

International efforts to enable Afghanistan to resume her independent and non-aligned status will have my Government’s active support. Despite the situation in Afghanistan and Cambodia, my Government will continue to work for better East-West relations, for an early and successful conclusion to the Madrid Meeting on the Helsinki Final Act, and for specific, equitable and verifiable measures of arms control. They welcome the forthcoming negotiations between the United States and the Soviet Union on limiting long-range theatre nuclear forces.

My Government reaffirm their strong commitment to the European Community. During the remainder of the British Presidency, and thereafter as a Member State, the United Kingdom will play its full part in its development. My Government are anxious to see satisfactory decisions on restructuring the Community budget and improving the Common Agricultural Policy. They will seek early agreement on a revised Common Fisheries Policy, and will continue to support the accession to the Community of Spain and Portugal.

My Government support the contribution of the Member States of the European Community towards a just, lasting and comprehensive settlement of the Arab-Israel dispute and will continue to work with all the parties to the dispute. They support the efforts of the Non-aligned Movement, the Islamic Conference and the United Nations to bring about a negotiated settlement to the conflict between Iran and Iraq.

Efforts to reach an internationally recognised agreement in Namibia will be continued, in co-operation with our allies.

My Government attach great importance to the Commonwealth and the United Nations and will continue to play an active part in both organisations. They will join with other countries and responsible international organisations in efforts to resolve the economic difficulties of both developing and developed countries.

My Government will seek to maintain close relations between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

Members of the House of Commons,

Estimates for the Public Service will be laid before you.

My Lords and Members of the House of Commons,

My Government attach the utmost importance to maintaining progress in reducing inflation by the pursuit of firm monetary and fiscal policies, to further improving the efficiency of the economy, and to strengthening industry, so as to restore competitiveness abroad and prosperity at home. They hope to see this assisted by further reductions in the level of wage settlements.

Plans for public expenditure will reflect the importance of restricting the claims of the public sector on the nation’s resources. My Government share the nation’s concern at the growth of unemployment and will continue to direct help to those groups and individuals most hard-pressed by the recession.

A Bill will be introduced on employment and labour relations.

Measures will be introduced to amend the financial arrangements of the National Coal Board and some other public undertakings, and to facilitate private investment in the oil-producing business of the British National Oil Corporation. Measures will also be proposed to facilitate private investment and promote competition in the activities of the British Gas Corporation.

State involvement in transport will be further reduced and the fixed penalty system for road traffic offences improved and extended.

My Government’s policies will seek to ensure that all individuals, whatever their race, colour or creed, have equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities.

My Government will continue to devote themselves to the complex problems of Northern Ireland. The search will go on for acceptable ways of enabling the people of Northern Ireland to play a fuller part in its administration. My Government will work for improvements in the security situation.

The requirements of law and order and the services employed to uphold them will continue to enjoy my Government’s complete support. Legislation will be introduced to improve the criminal justice system in England and Wales.

Measures will be brought forward to amend the law relating to the assumption of civil jurisdiction by courts in the United Kingdom and for the reciprocal enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters.

Legislation will be introduced to establish a scheme of unified housing benefit and to place a duty on employers to provide sick pay during the early weeks of sickness.

A Bill will be brought forward to improve the safeguards for detained patients and to make other reforms in the law on mental health in England and Wales.

Measures will be introduced to implement my Government’s conclusions on the report of the Committee of Inquiry into Local Government in Scotland and to provide for a modernised Code of Civic Government in Scotland.

Legislation will be introduced to improve the accountability of local authorities for the level of their rates.

Other measures will be laid before you.

My Lords and Members of the House of Commons,

I pray that the blessing of Almighty God may rest upon your counsels.

Below is the text of the speech made by Queen Elizabeth II in the House of Lords on 20 November 1980.

My Lords and Members of the House of Commons,

I take great pleasure in the current State Visit of His Majesty the King of Nepal, and look forward to visiting later this month Belgium, the Commission of the European Communities, and the headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

I look forward with equal pleasure to visiting Norway, Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka, and to being present in Melbourne on the occasion of the next meeting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government.

My Government believe that the best hope of lasting peace lies in the effective maintenance of Western security. They therefore attach great importance to defence and to contributing fully to the North Atlantic Alliance. They will continue to press for the complete withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan and for a political settlement acceptable to the Afghan people. Despite events in Afghanistan and Cambodia, they will continue to seek more stable East-West relations and will continue to work for effective measures of arms control.

My Government support the efforts of the European Community to work towards a just, lasting and comprehensive settlement of the Arab/Israel dispute. They view with grave concern the present conflict between Iran and Iraq and will continue to work with other Governments for an end to hostilities. They will continue also to support the United States Government in their efforts to find an early and peaceful solution to the prolonged illegal detention of the United States’ diplomatic hostages in Iran.

Negotiations to find an internationally recognised settlement in Namibia in accordance with the United Nations’ plan will continue.

My Government reaffirm their strong commitment to the European Community. They look forward to the accession of Greece on 1st January 1981 and to the prospect of further enlargement. They will play a full part in discussions to improve the common agricultural policy and restructure the Community Budget. They will continue to work for agreement on a revised common fisheries policy. Legislation will be introduced to amend the law about the Boundary Commissions’ reviews of the European Parliament constituencies.

My Government confirm their commitment to the Commonwealth and the United Nations, and will continue to play a constructive role in their activities.

My Government recognise the serious economic problems that affect both developed and developing countries and will continue to work with other countries and international organisations in seeking to alleviate them.

Members of the House of Commons,

Estimates for the public service will be laid before you.

My Lords and Members of the House of Commons,

The need to bring down the rate of inflation and create conditions for a sustainable growth of output and employment remains the prime concern of my Government. To that end they will take all steps necessary to maintain firm monetary and fiscal policies.

Plans for public expenditure will take account of the need to restrict the claims of the public sector on the nation’s resources. Special attention will continue to be given to the encouragement of new businesses and to measures to permit small firms to expand and prosper.

My Government, recognising the hardships and worries of those suffering unemployment, will proceed urgently with an expanded programme of employment and training measures for the unemployed, particularly the young. Proposals will be put before you for improving industrial training in the longer term and for supplying those skills which will be needed when industry moves out of the current recession.

Further proposals will be brought forward to reduce the scope of nationalised and state industry, and to increase competition. My Government will take steps to permit wider participation in the fortunes of the British National Oil Corporation. Measures will also be laid before you to replace public involvement in transport industries with further opportunities for private investment; and to reorganise the Post Office, to encourage better performance in postal services and to introduce greater competition in telecommunications.

Legislation will also be introduced to amend the financial arrangements for the National Enterprise Board, the Scottish and Welsh Development Agencies, and the Development Board for Rural Wales; and to provide for a capital reconstruction of the British Steel Corporation.

Measures will be brought forward on company law and insurance.

My Government will continue to ensure that the nation’s energy resources are appropriately developed and efficiently used. Legislation will be introduced to assist the conservation of energy and to impose a levy on the British Gas Corporation for specified gas purchases.

In Northern Ireland my Government will continue in its efforts to protect all members of the community against violence and terrorism, to foster its economic recovery, and to create arrangements for the government of Northern Ireland that will better meet the needs of all its people.

My Government are firmly committed to the maintenance of law and order in all parts of the United Kingdom. They will introduce legislation to improve the criminal law including repeal of the suspected person offence and will develop plans for giving effect to the proposals in the recent White Paper on young offenders.

A Bill will be introduced to change the law on nationality on the lines of the White Paper published last July.

Legislation will be brought forward to facilitate the education of children with special needs.

Measures to improve the law in Scotland relating to education and to local government and to protect wives’ home rights will be laid before you.

My Government will propose measures to improve road safety.

Pensions, war pensions and other social security benefits will be increased on 24th November and reviewed again next year. Legislation will be brought forward to place a duty on employers to provide sick pay for their employees during the early weeks of sickness.

Legislation will also be laid before you to promote the conservation of wild life and the countryside.

A Bill will be introduced to reform the law of contempt of court.

Other measures will be laid before you.

My Lords and Members of the House of Commons,

I pray that the blessing of Almighty God may rest upon your counsels.

The Queen’s Christmas Broadcast from 25 December 2020.

Every year we herald the coming of Christmas by turning on the lights. And light does more than create a festive mood —light brings hope.

For Christians, Jesus is ‘the light of the world’, but we can’t celebrate his birth today in quite the usual way. People of all faiths have been unable to gather as they would wish for their festivals, such as Passover, Easter, Eid, and Vaisakhi. But we need life to go on. Last month, fireworks lit up the sky around Windsor, as Hindus, Sikhs and Jains celebrated Diwali, the festival of lights, providing joyous moments of hope and unity — despite social distancing.

Remarkably, a year that has necessarily kept people apart has, in many ways, brought us closer. Across the Commonwealth, my family and I have been inspired by stories of people volunteering in their communities, helping those in need.

In the United Kingdom and around the world, people have risen magnificently to the challenges of the year, and I am so proud and moved by this quiet, indomitable spirit. To our young people in particular I say thank you for the part you have played.

This year, we celebrated International Nurses’ Day, on the 200th anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale. As with other nursing pioneers like Mary Seacole, Florence Nightingale shone a lamp of hope across the world. Today, our front-line services still shine that lamp for us – supported by the amazing achievements of modern science – and we owe them a debt of gratitude. We continue to be inspired by the kindness of strangers and draw comfort that – even on the darkest nights – there is hope in the new dawn.

Jesus touched on this with the parable of the Good Samaritan. The man who is robbed and left at the roadside is saved by someone who did not share his religion or culture. This wonderful story of kindness is still as relevant today. Good Samaritans have emerged across society showing care and respect for all, regardless of gender, race or background, reminding us that each one of us is special and equal in the eyes of God.

The teachings of Christ have served as my inner light, as has the sense of purpose we can find in coming together to worship.

In November, we commemorated another hero – though nobody knows his name. The Tomb of the Unknown Warrior isn’t a large memorial, but everyone entering Westminster Abbey has to walk around his resting place, honouring this unnamed combatant of the First World War — a symbol of selfless duty and ultimate sacrifice. The Unknown Warrior was not exceptional. That’s the point. He represents millions like him who throughout our history have put the lives of others above their own, and will be doing so today. For me, this is a source of enduring hope in difficult and unpredictable times.

Of course, for many, this time of year will be tinged with sadness: some mourning the loss of those dear to them, and others missing friends and family-members distanced for safety, when all they’d really want for Christmas is a simple hug or a squeeze of the hand. If you are among them, you are not alone, and let me assure you of my thoughts and prayers.

The Bible tells how a star appeared in the sky, its light guiding the shepherds and wise men to the scene of Jesus’s birth. Let the light of Christmas — the spirit of selflessness, love and above all hope — guide us in the times ahead.

It is in that spirit that I wish you a very happy Christmas.

The text of the broadcast made by HM Queen Elizabeth II on 25 December 1991.

In 1991 Boris Yeltsin won the first public elections to be held in Russia, ushering in a new era of East-West relations. In the same year the United States and the Soviet Union signed an historic agreement reducing their stockpiles of nuclear warheads by about a third. The Queen’s Christmas Broadcast in 1991 reflected on the enormous changes taking place across Eastern Europe and Russia, and the importance of democratic traditions.

In 1952, when I first broadcast to you at Christmas, the world was a very different place to the one we live in today.

Only seven years had passed since the end of the most destructive wars in the history of mankind. Even the end of the hostilities did not bring the true peace for which so many had fought and died. What became known as the ‘Cold War’ sustained an atmosphere of suspicion, anxiety and fear for many years.

Then, quite suddenly, everything began to change, and the changes have happened with bewildering speed. In 1989 the Berlin Wall came down. Since then the rest of the world has watched, fascinated, as oppressive regimes have crumbled under popular pressure.

One by one, these liberated peoples have taken the first hesitant, and sometimes painful, steps towards open and democratic societies.

Naturally, we welcome this, and it may be that we can help them achieve their aims. But, in doing that, we need to remind ourselves of the essential elements which form the bedrock of our own free way of life – so highly valued and so easily taken for granted.

This can be an opportunity to reflect on our good fortune, and on whether we have anything to offer by way of example to those who have recently broken free of dictatorship. We, who claim to be of the free world, should examine what we really mean by freedom, and how we can help to ensure that, once in place, it is there to stay.

There are all sorts of elements to a free society, but I believe that among the most important is the willingness of ordinary men and women to play a part in the life of their community, rather than confining themselves to their own narrow interests.

The parts they play may not be major ones – indeed they can frequently turn out to be thankless tasks. The wonder is, though, that there are so many who are prepared to devote much of their lives, for no reward, to the service of their fellow men and women.

Without their dedication, where would our churches and charities be, for instance? Without such people, many would be unable to enjoy the pleasure which the arts bring to our daily lives.

Governments can encourage and support, but it is the volunteers who work away for nothing in administration or spend their weekends seeing fair play, who make sport and physical recreation so worthwhile.

I am constantly amazed by the generosity of donors and subscribers, great and small, who give so willingly and often towards the enjoyment of others. Without them these voluntary organisations simply would not exist.

The peoples of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe have broken the mould of autocracy. I hope that we will be able to help them as they learn that the democracy which has replaced it depends, not on political structures, but on the goodwill and the sense of responsibility of each and every citizen.

It is not, of course, as simple as that. All the selfless voluntary work in the world can be wasted if it disregards the views and aspirations of others. There are any number of reasons to find fault with each other, with our Governments, and with other countries.

But let us not take ourselves too seriously. None of us has a monopoly of wisdom and we must always be ready to listen and respect other points of view.

At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Zimbabwe this autumn, we saw an example of mutual tolerance and respect for the views of others on an international scale. Leaders of the fifty nations came together to discuss the future.

They met in peace, they talked freely, they listened, they found much on which to agree, and they set a new direction for the Commonwealth. I am sure that each derived strength and reassurance in the process.

That was just one event in a year of massive and historic change. This time last year we were thinking of the servicemen and women in the Gulf, and of the hostages in captivity. Our prayers for their safe homecoming have largely been answered.

This Christmas we can take heart in seeing how, in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, where it has endured years of persecution and hardship, the Christian faith is once again thriving and able to spread its message of unselfishness, compassion and tolerance.

Next February will see the fortieth anniversary of my father’s death and of my Accession. Over the years I have tried to follow my father’s example and to serve you as best I can.

You have given me, in return, your loyalty and your understanding, and for that I give you my heartfelt thanks. I feel the same obligation to you that I felt in 1952. With your prayers, and your help, and with the love and support of my family, I shall try to serve you in the years to come.

May God bless you and bring you a Happy Christmas.

The text of HM Queen Elizabeth’s Christmas Broadcast from 25 December 1990.

Over the years, I have dwelt on the happier side of life in my Christmas Broadcasts – we need reminding of it, particularly at Christmas time. This year, there have been, I hope, times of happiness and good cheer for most of us.

My family, for instance, has been celebrating my mother’s Ninetieth Birthday, and we have shared with you the joy of some of those celebrations.

My youngest grandchild’s christening, two days ago, has brought the family together once again. I hope that all of us lucky enough to be able to enjoy such gatherings this Christmas will take time to count our blessings.

For it seems to me that there is one deep and overriding anxiety for us all on which we should reflect today. That is the threat of war in the Middle East.

The servicemen in the Gulf who are spending Christmas at their posts under this threat are much in our thoughts. And there are many others, at home and abroad, servicemen and civilians, who are away from their own firesides. Wherever they are, may they all, when their duty is done, soon be reunited with their families safe and sound.

At the same time we must remember those still held hostage. Some of them have spent years in captivity, and Christmas must, for them, be especially hard to bear. My heart goes out to them and to their families.

We can, at least, rejoice at the safe return of many of their compatriots over the last weeks, and salute the courage which they have shown.

Wars, threats of wars and civil disturbance inevitably cause thousands of innocent people to become refugees and to have their lives ruined or disrupted. It is difficult for us, safe at home, to contemplate the scale of the suffering for homeless and hungry people caused by the ever-widening consequences of the crisis in the Gulf.

The invasion of Kuwait was an example on an international scale of an evil which has beset us at different levels in recent years – attempts by ruthless people to impose their will on the peaceable majority.

In extreme form, as we know only too well, these attempts lead to disaster and death, and their tragic aftermath for families and communities. In the United Kingdom, we have suffered once again during the past year from the scourge of terrorism, its disregard for human life and its efforts to dress its crimes in political clothes.

But all this is nothing new. The tributes we paid last summer to the heroes of Dunkirk and the Battle of Britain were tributes to their achievement in repelling a determined invader. That was fifty years ago.

Nowadays there are all too many causes that press their claims with a loud voice and a strong arm rather than with the language of reason. We must not allow ourselves to be too discouraged as we confront them.

Let us remember that Christ did not promise the earth to the powerful. The resolve of those who endure and resist these activities should not be underestimated.

I never cease to admire the stoical courage of those in Northern Ireland, for example, who go about their business in defiance of the terrorist. The reaction of those who have lost loved ones at violent hands is often an inspiration to the rest of us.

Then again, I, like many others, was much heartened by the virtually unanimous opposition of the international community to the unprovoked invasion of Kuwait, and by the speed with which moves were made to try to relieve the plight of the innocent victims.

I want, therefore, to say thank you today to the men and women who, day in and day out, carry on their daily life in difficult and dangerous circumstances. By just getting on with the job, they are getting the better of those who want to harm our way of life.

Let us think of them this Christmas, wherever they are in the world, and pray that their resolution remains undiminished. It is they and their kind who, by resisting the bully and the tyrant, ensure that we live in the sort of world in which we can celebrate this season safely with our families.

I pray also that we may all be blessed with something of their spirit. Then we would find it easier to solve our disputes in peace and justice, wherever they occur, and that inheritance of the earth which Christ promised, not to the strong, but to the meek, would be that much closer.

A Happy Christmas and God bless you all.