§ 74. Colonel WOODCOCKasked the Minister of Labour whether the Director of the International Labour Office is entitled to exercise independence of the governing body, and the right to issue statements of policy in memoranda of information without submitting them for the approval of the governing body; and whether the memoranda accompanying the questionnaires circulated to member States of the International Labour Office, in reference to items of the agenda of the annual conferences, are under the authority of the officials of the International Labour Office and not of the governing body of the office?
§ Mr. BETTERTONThe position and duties of the Director of the International Labour Office are defined by Part XIII of the Treaty. As regards the second part of the question, in general the governing body takes no responsibility for the contents of the publications of the International Labour Office, and this rule holds good for the memoranda accompanying the questionnaires to which my hon. and gallant Friend refers.
§ Colonel WOODCOCKDoes the hon. Gentleman agree that the statement of policy should come from the officials and not from the governing body? If an official is to announce what is to be put on the agenda and what is to be dis-
§ cussed, the governing body have no power.
§ Mr. BETTERTONThe Government are pressing for more rigid control by the governing body over publications of general importance, in order to keep these matters more under the control of the governing body than has been the case up to the present, and that such publications shall not be put in hand without the authority of the governing body.