§ 48. Miss Irene Wardasked the Minister of Defence the number of reservists called up to 31st May for the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force, respectively.
§ Mr. ShinwellAs I have indicated in my letter to the hon. Member, this is a matter falling within the responsibility of my right hon. Friends the Service Ministers, and I am therefore asking them to communicate the figures to her.
§ Miss WardCould the right hon. Gentleman say why in discussing the period for the call-up of reservists he repudiated the principle of Cabinet responsibility?
§ Mr. ShinwellThere is no repudiation at all, but the position of reservists changes from day to day. It is a matter of administration within the knowledge of my right hon. Friends, and I prefer them to deal with it.
§ Mr. ChurchillHow are these figures to be given? Is each of the Service Ministers to render the figure separately for his Department, and are they to be circulated in the ordinary way of Questions not answered orally?
§ Mr. ShinwellYes, if the hon. Members ask the Questions, my right hon. Friends will no doubt give the answers.
§ Sir Herbert WilliamsWill the right hon. Gentleman arrange for someone in his Department who produces these figures to be able to add up?
§ Mr. ChurchillMy hon. Friend the Member for Tynemouth (Miss Ward) has asked a Question. She asked the right hon. Gentleman to give the figures collectively. He does not give them collectively, but says they should be given separately. Surely that operation should be conducted by the right hon. Gentleman?
§ Mr. ShinwellThe right hon. Gentle man is quite wrong. As usual he both misunderstands and misrepresents the position.
§ Mr. ChurchillWill the right hon. Gentleman mind answering the question, whether the answers are to be given separately by the different Ministers, or whether new Questions have to be put on the Order Paper for each of the three Ministers?
§ Mr. ShinwellIt obviously depends on the nature of the Question.
§ Mr. ChurchillThe nature of the Question is set out in the very simple terms of whether:
he will state the number of reservists called up to 31st May for the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force, respectively.Nothing could be simpler than that. How are those figures to be given? When are they to be given, and ought we to put down more Questions on the subject?
§ Mr. ShinwellI am afraid the right hon. Gentleman will require to put down more Questions, because obviously there are different categories of the reservists and obviously different dates, and these are matters in the competence of my right hon. Friends.
§ Miss WardOn a point of order. I think it would be fair if you would allow me to say, Mr. Speaker, that I had agreed with the right hon. Gentleman, because he asked me to withdraw the Question and put it down to the Service Ministers, to accept the answer in that form. I think it is only fair to say that, but why did the right hon. Gentleman say that he had persuaded the Cabinet not to have the 1010 period more than 15 days? That is what I meant by repudiating Cabinet responsibility.
§ Mr. ShinwellThat is not contained in the Question.
§ Brigadier HeadMay I ask the Minister of Defence, having regard to his unwillingness to answer this particular Question, whether it is not a fact that returns of the very nature required for the giving of these figures are made periodically to the Minister of Defence?
§ Mr. ShinwellThe global figures are of course given to us, but it is not really a case of the global figures. As I say, there are different categories of Reserves.
§ Mr. ChurchillIf the right hon. Gentleman finds it so difficult to avoid getting into a muddle about such trivial details, how does he hope to solve our great problems?
§ Mr. ShinwellIf the Government required any assistance to get into a muddle, the right hon. Gentleman would render every possible assistance.