§ 46. Sir Herbert Williamsasked the Prime Minister whether he will give an assurance that Ministers of the Crown will not address Press conferences on matters upon which they have recently addressed the House in Secret Session?
§ Mr. AttleeNo such assurance can be given. The public interest may require that a Minister should address a Press conference at any time, but, in so doing, he would be giving an account of his own views and would not, of course, be referring to anything that had passed in Secret Session, to which no reference may be made.
§ Sir H. WilliamsDo I understand that a Minister is not permitted, at a Press conference on the day after a Secret Session, to mention anything that he mentioned in the Secret Session?
§ Mr. AttleeNo, Sir. Because a Member or a Minister has made a statement in Secret Session he is naturally not precluded, if he thinks it right, from repeating that statement upon another occasion. He is barred only from referring to what was done in Secret Session or to statements made by other Ministers. Obviously it would be impossible to carry on a Secret Session if every Member were bound never again to repeat anything that he said in it.
§ Sir H. WilliamsWhile thanking my right honourable Friend for his reply, may I take it that he realises the great injustice caused to Pressmen in reporting Press conferences on the day after a Secret Session, by being summoned to appear before the Committee of Privileges of this House?