HC Deb 06 November 1945 vol 415 cc1085-6
59. Mr. Godfrey Nicholson

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will now make a statement on secretarial assistance and other matters affecting Members of Parliament and their conditions of work.

Mr. Dalton

Yes, Sir, His Majesty's Government are anxious that Members of this House shall have proper facilities for the discharge of their duties, and I shall propose, in the next few days, the appointment of a Select Committee to consider the whole question of hon. Members' expenses and conditions of work.

There are, however, two matters on which I can make a statement now. First, as regards postage I wish to make it clear—in order to remove any doubts which may exist—that any hon. Member wishing to send a letter on an official matter to a Government Department may send it post free, marking the envelope "O.H.M.S.".

Second, as regards travel; His Majesty's Government have decided to propose to the House to extend the existing right to free railway travel between Westminster and an hon. Member's constituency to include railway travel between his home and his constituency and between his home and Westminster, and to cover travel by scheduled air services as well as travel by rail. I shall ask the House to approve a Resolution to give effect to this proposal.

Mr. Nicholson

That Resolution will be debatable, I suppose?

Mr. Dalton

Certainly.

Mr. Gallacher

May I ask whether this concession on railway journeys between the Member's home and his constituency includes buses?

Mr. Dalton

No, Sir. A bus is not a railway.

Colonel Erroll

Does the facility of free postage include the sending of free telegrams?

Mr. Dalton

I do not want to promise too much all at once. The Select Committee which we are proposing to set up will have verywide terms of reference and will be able to review all these matters. I am anxious, while setting up the Select Committee with these wide terms of reference, to make two short moves in a direction which I think will generally be regarded as desirable, and I had hoped that these two short steps would be non-controversial. Other matters which come before the Select Committee may be more controversial.

Mr. Cocks

Is the Chancellor aware that the first concession he announced, that is, sending letters without stamps to Ministers, is a common practice?

Mr. Dalton

Not of all hon. Members. I, myself, have done what the hon. Gentleman suggests is a common practice and have never been pulled up for it, but other hon. Members have not done it and, in order to remove doubts, I desire to say that in the view of His Majesty's Government it is proper and legitimate that an hon. Member writing to a Government Department on official business writes "O.H.M.S."