HC Deb 16 December 1954 vol 535 cc1972-3
45. Lieut.-Colonel Lipton

asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the ineffective control of Foreign Office expenditure abroad, he will arrange for an independent inquiry into the Foreign Service.

The Prime Minister (Sir Winston Churchill)

I have nothing to add to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary on 13th December in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Yarmouth (Mr. Fell).

Lieut.-Colonel Lipton

Quite apart from the Departmental whitewashing which is now on the way and to which the Prime Minister has referred, would it not be in the public interest to have this lush under-world of duty-free gin, Scotch and cigarettes independently explored, and will not the Prime Minister do something to clean this up before he quits No. 10 in favour of the present Foreign Secretary?

The Prime Minister

That is a very controversial form in which to put a supplementary question, and I do not feel that justice would be done to the question in the short space of time available to me.