§ 52. Mr. Lewisasked the Prime Minister if he is aware of the growing practice of Ministers taking their civil servants to party political conferences at Exchequer expense; and whether he will issue a general directive that civil servants, cars and other facilities provided to Ministers, at the expense of the State, should not be used in support or furtherance of any political party, organisation, or conference.
§ The Prime MinisterI have made inquiries and am satisfied that this is not, as suggested, a growing practice. I certainly would not wish it to become so.
§ Mr. LewisMay I take it from his reply that the Prime Minister, while not issuing a general directive, has in mind that it is a practice not to be encouraged; and that when it is drawn to his attention he will advise Ministers not to do it?
§ The Prime MinisterThe general position, as I think the House knows, is that Ministers with police protection may use their official cars for private journeys, in which case they pay a mileage charge. Other Ministers have no cars personally allotted to them and cannot draw on cars for private journeys.
§ Mr. H. MorrisonThis has nothing to do with cars, has it? [HON. MEMBERS: "Yes."] We are dealing with Question No. 52, are we not? [HON. MEMBERS: "Yes"] But Question No. 52 asks the Prime Minister—
if he is aware of the growing practice of Ministers taking their civil servants to party political conferences.
Mr. MorrisonIt goes on, "at Exchequer expense"—Yes, I follow that. But is it not the case that the Minister of Education took his public relations officer to a party political conference at Bournemouth? Is not this a new thing? Will not the right hon. Gentleman come clear about it: that it ought not to have been done, and that he will stop it in the future, whether it be the case of the Minister of Education or otherwise?
§ The Prime MinisterI think that the Minister of Education explained the circumstances of this particular case. I am 1656 sure that he is aware, as we all are, of the need to maintain the existing practice, that civil servants do not go to party political conferences except on very rare occasions when they go to help their Ministers with particular Departmental work.
§ Mr. MorrisonWe really are entitled to have from the Prime Minister a categorical decision about this. It is surely wrong that civil servants, whether public relations officers or otherwise, should accompany their Ministers to party political conferences. Surely, it is the case that Ministers at party political conferences must stand upon their own feet and that it is not right that public funds should be used for the purpose of assisting Ministers to defend themselves. I beg the Prime Minister, as a matter of good constitutional propriety and of public morals, to be categorical about it and to assure us that he will not allow this to happen. I am very serious about it. I had a lot to do with this in the Labour Government, when, as far as I know, it never happened.
§ The Prime MinisterI thought that I was absolutely categorical about it. I think it wrong and undesirable that Ministers should take public officials to conferences to help them in the work of the conferences. What I am not going to say is wrong—and I hope that the right hon. Gentleman is not going to ask me—is that either a Prime Minister, because I have done it myself, or the Foreign Secretary should take an official with him to do his other ordinary work. I think that is perfectly proper, and it has been done. That is the only distinction I draw. Certainly no public official should be made use of at all for the purpose of a party political conference.
§ Mr. MorrisonI can follow the point of an official being available to assist a Minister in handling papers and official business not connected with the conference at all, but it is admitted in this case that the public relations officer assisted the Minister in what he was going to do at a party political conference. I do not think that anything would be lost by the Prime Minister saying that that was wrong and that he will see that it does not happen again. I beg of him, in the interest of good administration, to say so.
§ The Prime MinisterI think that I have made my position perfectly plain and understandable to everybody, and I have nothing to add to what I have said.