§ The Prime Minister (Mr. Attlee)I desire, Mr. Speaker, with your permission, to make a statement.
The House will be aware that it is desirable to announce as early as possible the names of the United Kingdom representatives to the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe for the next Session, which is to be held at Strasbourg in August. His Majesty's Government have given consideration to the British representation, having regard to the balance of parties in this House, and they are of the view, which I believe is shared by the official Opposition and the Liberal Party, that it will be appropriate for the 18 representatives to consist of nine Members of the Labour Party, eight of the Conservative Party and one of the Liberal Party.
I should now like to announce the names of the members. The representatives from the Government benches are:
My right hon. Friend the Minister of Town and Country Planning (Mr. Dalton), my hon. Friend the Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty (Mr. James Callaghan), my right hon. Friend the Member for Colne Valley (Mr. Glenvil Hall), my hon. Friends the Members for Leeds, North-East (Miss Bacon), Derbyshire, South-East (Mr. Champion), Coventry, North (Mr. Edelman), Edinburgh, Leith (Mr. Hoy), Reading, North (Mr. R. Mackay) and my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Kettering (Mr. Mitchison).
The representatives of His Majesty's Opposition are:
The right hon. Gentleman the Leader of the Opposition the Member for Woodford (Mr. Churchill), the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Bromley (Mr. H. Macmillan), the right hon. and learned Gentleman the Member for Liverpool, West Derby (Sir D. Maxwell Fyfe), the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Streatham (Mr. Sandys), the hon. Gentlemen the Members for Aberdeenshire, East (Mr. Boothby) and Chippenham (Mr. Eccles), the hon. and learned Gentleman the Member for Northwich (Mr. J. Foster) and the hon. Gentleman the Member for Londonderry (Sir R. Ross).
1697 The representative of the Liberals will be:
The noble Lord, Lord Layton.
These appointments are for the Second Session of the Assembly and will hold good until either the beginning of the Third Session, or the election of the next United Kingdom Parliament, whichever is the earlier.