HC Deb 19 July 1950 vol 477 cc2261-2
47. Sir H. Williams

asked the Prime Minister if he has considered a circular sent to him by the Six Point Group under the name of its national President, who is the Minister of National Insurance, criticising the policy of His Majesty's Government in respect of Korea; and what action he has taken to preserve the constitutional doctrine of Cabinet responsibility.

The Prime Minister

Yes, Sir. My attention has been drawn to this circular and I welcome this opportunity of informing the House of the circumstances in which the name of my right hon. Friend was wrongly associated with it. The Six Point Group is an organisation of which my right hon. Friend has been a member for some years and she became its President, the duties of which office are largely honorary, in 1946. She has not for some time played any active part in this organisation and has not attended a meeting for over two years. She was, of course, quite unaware of the contents of the document to which the hon. Member refers. As soon as she saw it last Saturday morning, she resigned both from the presidency and from her membership of the Group.

Sir H. Williams

In view of the circumstances of this somewhat strange case, will the Prime Minister ask all his colleagues to make sure that they have separated themselves from all the strange organisations to which they have belonged?

Mr. Marlowe

In view of the fact that the right hon. Lady was President of this organisation at the time this document was put out, can the right hon. Gentleman explain what he meant by saying that she was "wrongly associated with it"?

The Prime Minister

Because her name was associated with this resolution, which she had not seen, and which, so far as I can gather, was something quite out of the purview of the objects of the Group.

Miss Ward

Will the Prime Minister bear in mind that if the Government would deal with the outstanding injustices to women there would be no need for these societies to remain in operation? In particular, will he pay attention to the lack of equal pay, to which he and all other parties are committed? May I have an answer?

Mr. Mott-Radclyffe

Is this yet another plot?