§ 45. Mr. Geoffrey Cooperasked the Prime Minister if he will consider publishing a list of the various Cabinet Committees so to enable there to be a more intelligent understanding of our machinery of government.
§ The Prime Minister (Mr. Attlee)No, Sir. Ministers in charge of Departments are separately responsible to Parliament for the policy and administration of their Departments, and the procedure by which 26 the Cabinet discharges its collective responsibility is a matter for the Cabinet itself.
§ Mr. CooperDoes my right hon. Friend believe that this secrecy is really helpful? Would he, in particular, consider issuing a statement about the committee on the machinery of government which has been sitting—how frequently it has met and Whether it is still in existence?
§ The Prime MinisterNo, Sir. I have already explained in my answer why that attitude is taken up.