HC Deb 24 April 1956 vol 551 cc1599-601
19. Mr. J. Johnson

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will give a detailed statement on the proposed £100 million economy measures.

20. Mr. Peart

asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he intends to announce the details of his proposed economy measures; and if he will issue a White Paper.

Mr. H. Macmillan

Decisions involving important changes in policy or administration will be announced as and when they are taken, but I cannot yet say when the first announcement will be made.

Mr. Johnson

Why is the right hon. Gentleman so coy and unlike his usual self in this matter? This will obviously involve major changes of policy. Surely he has the courtesy to give the House at least some notice in advance of what he intends to do.

Mr. Macmillan

No, I think it is much better to make the announcement when we have made a decision.

Mr. Peart

In view of the fact that the Financial Secretary hedged when pressed on a matter affected by this Question last week, may I have an assurance from the Chancellor that there will be no cutting down of the technical education programme and that it will not be affected by this economy measure?

Mr. Macmillan

When we make decisions we shall announce them to the House.

Mr. H. Wilson

Since the Leader of the Opposition has given notice that we should like a debate on technical education and a number of other subjects very soon, has the right hon. Gentleman not yet taken the point, made in all sincerity and not in a party sense, that this procedure is making a farce of our Parliamentary proceedings in the debates on the Estimates? Will the right hon. Gentleman tell us how we can debate Estimates which have been published but which, within the next two or three weeks, may be completely destroyed as a result of a Government decision?

Mr. Macmillan

I do not think that there will be any difficulty in treating this matter either in a party sense or in all sincerity. All Governments from time to time have made changes in their decisions on expenditure even after the Estimates have been presented. What we propose this year is to do that in an orderly manner and announce our decisions to the House.

Mr. H. Wilson

Since this decision and announcement has been made in the most disorderly manner, will the right hon. Gentleman inform the House when was the last occasion that Estimates were introduced at the usual time and then, within three weeks of the beginning of the financial year, an announcement was made by the Government that the Estimates were to be cut by £100 million?

Mr. Macmillan

I remember very well an occasion at the beginning of my political life, the first time that a Socialist Government broke down and ran away, under Mr. Ramsay MacDonald.