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File concerning David Owen's 1979 election campaign for the Plymouth Devonport constituency, including:
Small group of correspondence from constituents and other correspondents from the South-West area to David Owen discussing local and personal problems/issues
The group D 709 2/2/2 contains transcripts of speeches delivered by David Owen to local meetings in the Plymouth Sutton constituency; also includes copies of press releases of speeches and some additional material. The material in this group dates from c.1966 -- 1970
Envelope of speech transcripts, press releases of speeches and related material, made by David Owen as Labour candidate for Sutton (Plymouth) constituency to local meetings: discussions of Labour policy in general and with reference to their importance to Plymouth and the South West; include speech made at adoption meeting and speeches on :
The group D 709 2/2/3 contains files of news cuttings, original and photocopied, principally from Devon-based newspapers, connected to David Owen's activities in and for his Plymouth constituency; files may also contain additional material including indexes of newspaper references, Hansard extracts, campaign literature, press photographs etc. Material in this group dates from c. 1964 -- 1981
The material in group D 709 2/2/3 is arranged where possible in chronological order
File of news cuttings and miscellaneous material connected to David Owen's Plymouth constituency; labelled `Election 1970 clippings' but containing earlier and later material, include:
File is arranged as compiled: no clear order
File containing photocopied news cuttings, indexes to news cuttings, Hansard extracts, indexes to Hansard and additional material concerning David Owen's political career 1966 -- 1981, particularly in connection with Plymouth constituency, include:
File is arranged as compiled: no clear order
File labelled `1970 Election WMN 4/70 -- 6/70' containing photocopied news cuttings from the Western Morning News concerning David Owen's Plymouth Sutton election campaign, 1970; also includes MS index to references to the campaign in the WMN giving date, page reference, headline and brief subject details
File, originally labelled `Press cuttings --- Plymouth' containing small amount of miscellaneous material including:
File is arranged as compiled: no clear order
File labelled: `74 Elections. Manifesto, Queen's Speech, Dates of appointments . . .' include:
MS indexes to references in South Western newspapers to David Owen's political career, giving date, page ref., headline, and in some cases brief subject detail
The material in D 709 2/2/4 contains a small number of records relating to David Owen's Plymouth election and general propaganda campaigns, dating from c.1974 -- 1979
Further examples of election campaign material may also be found in correspondence files at D 709 2/2/1 and news cuttings files at D 709 2/2/3
The material in D 709 2/2/4 is arranged where possible in chronological order
Illustrated campaign card produced for David Owen's parliamentary election campaign for the Plymouth Sutton constituency, apparently for the 1970 General Election
Copy of David Owen's New Year message to the Plymouth Sutton constituency Labour Party; discusses whether and under what terms Britain should enter the Common Market
Illustrated election campaign card and leaflet promoting David Owen's candidature in the [1974] Plymouth Devonport election
File labelled `dance' containing material relating to the arrangement of a dance to celebrate David Owen's victory in the 1979 General Election: includes copy invitation; lists of names and addresses of campaign helpers
The group D 709 2/2/5 contains printed information of relevance to David Owen's Plymouth constituencies, dating from c. 1971 -- 1973
The material in D 709 2/2/5 is arranged where possible in chronological order
Table of census statistics for Plymouth Devonport constituency
Copy statement issued by the Plymouth Anti-Trunk Road Association `relative to the Department of the Environment's proposal for the construction of a major trunk road through Plymouth'
Collection of photocopied extracts from biographical works on the life of Nancy Astor (formerly M.P. for Plymouth Sutton)
The group D 709 2/3 includes news cuttings, speech transcripts, memoranda, reports and related material connected to David Owen's time as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence for the Royal Navy, dating from 1968 -- 1970.
David Owen was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence for the Royal Navy on 2 July 1968 by Prime Minister Harold Wilson, becoming the youngest member of the Wilson government, and served in this post until the defeat of the Labour government in the June 1970 General Election. Developments in naval policy which he became actively involved in during this period included the withdrawal of British naval forces in South East Asia and the Persian Gulf; the abolition, for safety reasons, of the rum ration issued to naval ratings; the strengthening of Naval air power, to include the use of Harriers with naval cruisers; and the implementation of the Polaris nuclear deterrent programme. As MP for a Plymouth constituency David Owen's role as Navy Minister was particularly relevant; in handling the issue of developing the naval dockyards he was able to fight the closure of Devonport Naval Dockyard and introduce plans for its redevelopment as a nuclear refitting base.
The papers in D 709 2/3 are arranged as follows:
The group D 709 2/3/1 includes the contents of a box of personal files and additional loose papers, including a variety of material including news cuttings, reports, speech transcripts etc connected to David Owen's Navy Ministry
The papers in group D 709 2/3/1 are arranged as deposited
Box file labelled `Defence 68 -- 70 U[nder] S[ecretary] of S[tate for the] R[oyal] N[avy]; containing papers connected to David Owen's Navy Ministry. Include Ministry of Defence unclassified branch folders as follows:
The group D709 2/3/2 contains one set of speech notes made by David Owen as Minister for the Navy.
See also D 709 2/3/1 for transcripts, notes and background information for further speeches made by David Owen as Minister for the Navy
Speech note cards of speech made by [David Owen] on the 28th anniversary of the signing of the Atlantic Charter: notes on history of the charter, discussion of the joint US/UK Polaris programme
The group D709 2/3/2 contains one memorandum written by David Owen as Minister for the Navy.
Copy of David Owen's private memorandum to the Secretary of State for Defence, setting out his proposals for the development of the naval fleet
The papers in group D 709 2/4 include material relating to David Owen's time as Defence Spokesman for the Opposition, as well as some material following his resignation from this post but reflecting his continuing interest in defence issues; including drafts and copies of speeches, papers and articles by Owen and correspondence relating to his resignation, dating from 1970 -- 1973.
After the defeat of the Labour government under Harold Wilson in June 1970 David Owen took on the position of Shadow Junior Defence Spokesman until his resignation from the Shadow Cabinet in April 1972. During this period the Conservative government were involved in negotiations over British entry into the European Community, a crucial issue in British politics at this time. In January 1971when an anti-EEC motion raised a large number of signatures from Labour MPs it became clear that the Labour Party was becoming divided between pro- and anti-marketeers. David Owen was to later write of this period that `the true story of the formation of the SDP begins here' (Owen, Time to Declare p172). He strongly supported entry into the European Community and was one of the sixty-nine Labour MPs who voted in the October debate to approve the Government's principle of entry, thereby voting against his party. He opposed the Labour Party's demands for a referendum on the issue in 1972, and resigned from the Shadow Cabinet in April, following fellow pro-marketeer Roy Jenkins' resignation from the Deputy Leadership of the Party.
However, as ex-Navy Minister and ex-Shadow Defence spokesman he maintained his interest in defence issues and continued to contribute in speech and writing to defence-related discussions, publishing in June 1972 his book The Politics of Defence, and acting as a member of the Defence and External Affairs Sub-Committee of the House of Commons Public Expenditure Committee in 1972 and 1973.
The papers in group D 709 2/4/1 are arranged as follows:
The papers in group D 709 2/4/1 contain drafts and copies of papers, articles and speeches written by David Owen as Shadow Junior Defence Spokesman, or after his resignation from the cabinet on defence-related issues.
The papers in D 709 2/4/1are arranged as far as possible in chronological order
File of articles/drafts of articles by David Owen on defence-related issues; includes:
File containing copy of paper by David Owen presented to the Defence and External Affairs Sub-Committee of the Expenditure Committee: `Force Level Comparisons in Europe' --- views on mutual and balanced force reductions in European countries [1971]; also contains printed extracts of minutes of evidence and report of the Defence and External Affairs Sub-Committee, Dec 1971,discussing personnel costs in the defence budget/financial implications of M.B.F.R; and letter from Lord Balniel to David Owen, 23 March 1972 re comparison of strength of forces in Central Europe.
Extract from Hansard, 26 Oct 1971, with speech made by David Owen arguing for British entry into the E.E.C.; produced as leaflet
Group D 709 2/4/2 includes correspondence and reference material connected to David Owen's resignation from the Shadow Cabinet in April 1972.
Letters of support sent to David Owen on his resignation from the Shadow Cabinet over the EEC referendum; with copies of David Owen's replies
File of notes and copied news cuttings concerning past ministerial resignations, compiled by research assistant to David Owen; also contains drafts of section from David Owen's biography A Time to Declare dealing with the resignation of Roy Jenkins and David Owen from the Shadow Cabinet.
The group D 709 2/5 includes correspondence, drafts and news cuttings relating to David Owen's Private Member's Bill, the Children Bill; also includes some papers relating to the introduction of a new Children Bill by the Labour Government; dating from 1973 -- 1977.
After attaining third position in the private members' ballot, November 1973 David Owen decided to present a Private Member's Bill dealing with issues of adoption and child abuse, the Children Bill, to be largely based on the recommendations of the Houghton Report of 1972. This report , the product of a Departmental Committee on the Adoption of Children set up in 1969 by Jim Callaghan, the then Home Secretary, set out recommendations for the establishment of a comprehensive professional adoption service. A team of volunteers in support of the measures drafted the bill, including sections to deal with child abuse as well as adoption; the final product being described by the Times as a 'valuable but highly complex piece of legislation' (7 Feb 1972). The Second Reading of the bill was scheduled for February 8th, but it was killed by the dissolution of Parliament for the February 1974 General Election.
However, on David Owen's appointment as the Minister for Health for the new Labour government following the election he was able to oversee the introduction of a new Children Bill, essentially the same as the first bill, and direct it through Parliament to become the Children Act 1975. (SEE D 709 2/6 Papers as Minister of Health).
The papers in D 709 2/5 are arranged into the following groups:
The group D 709 2/5/1 contains correspondence concerning the Children Bill as Private Member's Bill and when re-introduced by the Labour Government; also draft and printed copies of the bill, dating from 1974 -- 1977.
For further papers on the Children Bill introduced by the Labour government see D 709 2/6 Papers as Minister of Health
File of papers relating to the introduction of the Children Bill as a Private Member's Bill by David Owen, and later papers on the re-introduction of the bill by the Labour Government; including:
Group D 709 2/5/2 includes photocopied news cuttings connected to the Children's Bill, dating from 23 Nov 1973 -- 14 Dec 1974
File of photocopied news cuttings relating to David Owen's introduction of The Children's Bill; includes cuttings concerning the new Children Bill in Dec 1974, introduced after David Owen's appointment as Minister for Health.
The papers in group D 709 2/6 include personal files of material and printed copies of Parliamentary proceedings relating to David Owen's work as Health Minister, dating from 1974 -- 1976.
Following the Labour Party victory in the General Election of February 1974 David Owen was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of Health, being promoted to Minister of State for Health in July; working under Barbara Castle, Secretary of State for Health and Social Services. In this position he was able to supervise the legislation to reform adoption laws, which had been prompted by his introduction of a Private Member's Bill, the Children Bill, in Jan 1974. This bill was built on and improved to become the Children Act 1975 which introduced new regulations for the welfare of children including, as listed in a DHSS press statement in Sep 1976: "safeguards against an abrupt move for children in care; strengthening the rights of foster parents seeking to adopt; new grounds for local authorities to assume parental rights and duties; the separate representation of children in certain court proceedings; and a right of access by adopted people to their own birth records". The act was considered by David Owen to be "the most constructive legislative contribution I have made to British politics" (Owen, Time to Declare p 232).
Further issues in which David Owen became involved as Health Minister included the implementation of the NHS Reorganisation Act 1973 which was due in April 1974; the proposal of regulations to clamp down on private abortion rackets; the tightening of regulations governing the tobacco industry --- in advising that tobacco products should come under the 1968 Medicines Act to ensure scientific advice on their health risks; and the appropriation of funds for the World Health Organisation's smallpox eradication campaign. He was also involved in controversial negotiations to phase out private practice, `pay-beds', from NHS hospitals, a Labour manifesto commitment, which involved the setting up of the `Owen Working Party' to produce a new consultant's contract to take into account the consequent changes. Both consultants opposed to the separation of private practice from NHS hospitals, and members of health service unions opposed to private practice took industrial action over the issue. Although pay-bed legislation did reach the statute book under Labour it was subsequently removed by the next Conservative government.
The papers in group D 709 2/6 are arranged into the following groups:
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