§ 2.40 p.m.
§ LORD FRANCIS-WILLIAMSMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their attention has been drawn to recent decisions of the Joint Censorship Committee of the British Poster Advertising Association and whether they consider the activities of this body to be in the public interest.]
§ THE LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL AND MINISTER FOR SCIENCE (VISCOUNT HAILSHAM)My Lords, may I take the opportunity provided by the noble Lord's Question to welcome back the Lord Chairman after his operation and to say how glad we all are that he is looking so well.
§ VISCOUNT HAILSHAMMy Lords, in reply to the noble Lord's Question, I must tell him that Her Majesty's Government have no responsibility for the decisions of this body and it would not therefore be in accordance with the practice of this House for the Government as such to comment upon them.
§ LORD FRANCIS-WILLIAMSMy Lords, in view of the fact that the body concerned refused to allow permission to advertise posters issued by a Department of Her Majesty's Government, the Ministry of Health, dealing with the dangers of smoking, have Her Majesty's 878 Government any view as to whether a private body of this kind ought to be able to stand in the way of their giving what they believe to be necessary education to the people of this country?
§ VISCOUNT HAILSHAMMy Lords, the Government may have a good many views, and I may have still more views personally about it which I should like to express were I in order to do so. But I think we must stand on the general principle, my Lords, that in Parliament the Government do not have to answer for any idiotic decisions except their own.
§ VISCOUNT ALEXANDER OF HILLSBOROUGHMy Lords, has the noble and learned Viscount seen reports to the effect that in another matter, apparently, a foreign Embassy made representations to a Government Department with regard to certain posters which were proposed, and that this other body we are talking about refused to publish those posters?
§ VISCOUNT HAILSHAMMy Lords, I again must not answer questions directed to a matter as to which there is no Government responsibility. But, my Lords, it does so happen that the body concerned communicated with my noble friend Lord Ferrers, who at one time would have answered this Question, and they say that they emphasise as strongly as they can that, despite allegations to the contrary, no pressure of any kind was placed upon the committee in regard to their decisions. I cannot take responsibility either for the accuracy of that statement or for any Government attitude towards it, but I thought it fair to communicate that to the House in the form in which it was received by us.