HC Deb 26 January 1943 vol 386 cc354-6
46. Mr. Shinwell

asked the Prime Minister whether he will define the functions of those hon. Members who act as Parliamentary Private Secretaries to Ministers; whether, when communications are sent to Ministers, such hon. Members are entitled to reply in their own names, and on their own behalf; and whether he can state the exact relations between Parliamentary Private Secretaries and the respective Government Departments?

Mr. Eden

As regards the general position of Parliamentary Private Secretaries to Ministers and their functions, I think I cannot do better than refer my hon. Friend to the answer which my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister gave on 24th June, 1941, in reply to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for East Wolverhampton (Mr. Mander), of which I am sending him a copy.

Mr. Shinwell

But is the right hon. Gentleman aware that recently the practice has grown up of Parliamentary Private Secretaries intimating to Members that they are personally dealing with cases sent to Ministers? I myself have received letters from Parliamentary Private Secretaries which indicated that the Minister had not seen my communication at all. The Parliamentary Private Secretary took responsibility for dealing with the case. Will that practice be stopped?

Mr. Eden

I think the general practice of Ministers—although there is no rule in the matter—is that when communications are addressed to them personally they deal with them personally. That is the general practice so far as is possible. [HON. MEMBERS: "No."] It would not apply, of course, in the same way if Members chose, as they might well choose in these hard-worked times, to communicate direct with a Parliamentary Private Secretary. There could be no objection to that if Members chose so to do. Generally speaking, I think Parliamentary Private Secretaries can be trusted to discharge their duties with energy, skill and patience. At the same time perhaps not too much importance should be attached to the political significance of the work they do.

Mr. Shinwell

While recognising the difficulties experienced by Ministers when a large number of cases is submitted to them and their desire to hand them over to someone so that they can be dealt with more expeditiously, is it proper that when a communication is sent to a Minister the Department not only puts the matter into the hands of a Parliamentary Private Secretary but the Parliamentary Private Secretary takes the responsibility for dealing with the case and intimates so in his letter?

Mr. Eden

I do not think a Parliamentary Private Secretary could take responsibility for dealing with a communication which has been addressed to a Minister. The practice has grown up, and there is a certain amount of latitude in these matters, that Ministers like to reply themselves if they can, but some offices have more voluminous correspondence than others.

Mr. Gallacher

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that recently I had a letter from a Parliamentary Private Secretary, that I sent it to the party concerned, and the authorities refused to recognise it as official, so that I had to take the matter up with the Department once again?

Mr. Eden

The hon. Gentleman asks me whether I was aware of this. I am not aware of it, and I do not know how I could be expected to be aware of it.

Sir Adam Maitland

Will my right hon. Friend look at this matter from another aspect? Among certain Departments there is a growing practice that letters addressed by Members to Ministers are passed on to a Parliamentary Private Secretary, whose reply does not carry the same conviction or satisfaction as would a letter from the Minister.

Mr. Eden

I am sure my right hon. Friend will bear in mind what has been said. As I have said, it was the old practice for Ministers always to attempt to answer themselves letters from Members of Parliament, but it is true that in certain Departments correspondence in war-time is enormous, so that it is scarcely possible to follow that practice now. I think we must allow some latitude.