§ 47. Lieut.-Colonel STOTTasked the Prime Minister the names of the members of the committee which investigated the application of the steel industry under the Safeguarding of Industries Act?.
§ 53. Mr. MacKENZIE LIVINGSTONEasked the Prime Minister whether he will give the names of the members of the Civil Research Committee?
§ The PRIME MINISTERThe application by the steel industry was not referred to a committee under the Safeguarding of Industries Act, but was examined by the Committee of Civil Research. It would be contrary to established practice to give the names of the members of, or any other information relating to, a Cabinet Committee. In accordance with the regular practice of Cabinet Committees, the Report of the Committee came before the whole Cabinet for review.
§ The PRIME MINISTERI am afraid that would be in contravention of the rule I laid down.
§ Mr. A. V. ALEXANDERWas there any special reason for adopting this procedure in this case?
§ The PRIME MINISTERI think in a case of such magnitude the great advantage of the procedure adopted is that when an examination is allowed under the procedure that was conducted under the Act, and application is made before a Committee set up by the Board of Trade, it is acting in accordance with precedent that the Government should 628 adopt the view of that Committee, although it is not absolutely necessary they should. It is a difficult matter to reverse such a decision.
Captain BENNThen does the right hon. Gentleman say that a safeguarding committee would have found in favour of a duty?
§ The PRIME MINISTERNothing of the kind.
§ Mr. LIVINGSTONEWill the right hon. Gentleman inform us whether the right hon. Member for Carmarthen (Sir A. Mond) was a member of this Committee or not?
§ The PRIME MINISTERThe hon. Member must take the answer which I gave to the supplementary question, which he will understand better when he has read it.
§ Mr. ALEXANDERMay I ask whether the answer which the right hon. Gentleman gave before the last means that the Government realise that the procedure laid down in the White Paper for safeguarding does not meet the case of the whole industries of the country?
§ The PRIME MINISTERI will not go as far as that. The hon. Member, who has been a member of a Government, knows that it is only possible for the Cabinet to decide Oft an important matter of policy.
§ Mr. MACLEANDoes the right hon. Gentleman not think that the publication of the names of a committee of this character would make it carry greater weight with people outside?
§ The PRIME MINISTERNo Sir; I do not think so.