§ 47. Sir I. Fraserasked the Prime Minister to which Minister Questions relating to the Central Office of Information and to the British Broadcasting Corporation's policy should be addressed.
§ The Prime MinisterQuestions relating to the Central Office of Information should be addressed to the Financial Secretary to the Treasury. Those relating to the policy of the British Broadcasting Corporation should be addressed to the Assistant Postmaster-General.
§ Sir I. FraserIs the Prime Minister departing from the practice of allowing policy in respect of broadcasting to be dealt with by a senior Minister and only technical matters by the Post Office?
§ The Prime MinisterNo, Sir. The main issues in regard to the policies of His Majesty's Government towards the British Broadcasting Corporation will naturally be dealt with as a Cabinet matter.
§ Mr. C. R. AttleeI am not quite clear about that. Do I understand that detailed Questions on administration will be answered by the Assistant Postmaster-General, but that if there is some major question of policy which, as the right hon. Gentleman has said, has been the subject of Cabinet consideration, the Question should be put down to himself or the Leader of the House?
§ The Prime MinisterI entirely share that view.
§ 49. Mr. John Profumoasked the Prime Minister whether he is now in a position to announce the name of the Minister who will be responsible for the information services.
§ The Prime MinisterIt does not seem necessary to nominate a single Minister to be answerable to this House for information services as a whole. Questions relating to the information activities of a particular Department should be addressed to the Minister in charge of that Department; and Questions relating to the Central Office of Information may be addressed to the Financial Secretary to the Treasury.
§ Mr. ProfumoDo I understand from the Prime Minister's reply that it is not his intention to appoint a special Minister to be in charge of the policy with regard to the information services in general?
§ The Prime MinisterI said, "It does not seem necessary to nominate a single Minister to be answerable to this House for information services as a whole."