HC Deb 31 January 1956 vol 548 cc758-60
45. Captain Pilkington

asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the fact that the nationalised industries are owned by the nation, he will take steps to alter the present practice so as to enable Members of Parliament to ask Questions about these industries in the same way that they can about non-nationalised industries.

The Lord Privy Seal (Mr. R. A. Butler)

I have been asked to reply.

My right hon. Friend is aware of the desire of hon. Members to have full information about the nationalised industries. How this might best be achieved is now under fresh consideration by the Government, following the recent Report of the Select Committee on Nationalised Industries.

Captain Pilkington

In view of the fact that these industries—some of the most important, such as coal and transport—are doing extremely badly under nationalisation, will my right hon. Friend undertake that this reconsideration will be pressed forward with all speed?

Mr. Butler

This was, perhaps naturally, one of the first subjects to which I gave my attention on assuming my present responsibilities. It is a matter which interests the House of Commons as a whole, and when I have had time to form a conclusion—with the aid, perhaps, of hon. Members interested in this matter —I hope that we shall find a solution that is satisfactory to the House as a whole.

Mr. Jay

Can the right hon. Gentleman say how we are to put down Questions in this House on the non-nationalised industries, and to which Ministers such Questions should be addressed?

Mr. Butler

The Questions of the right hon. Member, as I learned to discover during four happy years of opposition to him, are full of tortuous ideas. In general, the private sector is within the field of responsibility of the President of the Board of Trade, but the specific answer to the right hon. Member is that there is no exact parallel between the private interests to which he referred and nationalised industries which are under consideration.

Mr. Gaitskell

The Leader of the House has made a most important pronouncement. Are we to understand that from now onwards we may address Questions to the President of the Board of Trade about I.C.I., Unilever and any other private firms in which hon. Members happen to be interested?

Mr. Butler

If the right hon. Member had listened to the concluding portion of my reply he would have heard me say that there was no parallel between the statement made by his right hon. Friend the Member for Battersea, North (Mr. Jay) and nationalised industries, to which hon. Members are drawing my attention in this Question.

Mr. Gaitskell

In that case, would it not be much better if the right hon. Gentleman would say that of course Ministers cannot and do not answer Questions about non-nationalised industries?

Mr. Butler

No, because it would be a great pity for the Leader of the House ot to answer the first part of the question by the right hon. Member for Battersea, North, namely, that if there is a field in which private industries lie it falls within the general purview of the Board of Trade. I then answered specifically the point of the question about private industry.

Viscount Hinchingbrooke

Reverting to the nationalised industries, and pending the fresh consideration to be given the subject, of which I am sure all parties in the House will approve, would my right hon. Friend agree that as a result of the last Report of the Select Committee, and particularly of the evidence incorporated in it, there is abundant proof that nearly all the subjects upon which hon. Members would normally desire to ask Questions are in fact—as shown by the Select Committee—subjects over which Ministers have full power of investigation and inquiry? That being the case, does that not automatically give admissibility to these Questions?

Mr. Butler

I have in my hand the Report of the Select Committee. Certainly there are some very imposing tables in it which were submitted in evidence, but I think it would be an over-simplification to take the definition given by the noble Lord on this occasion. It would be very much better if we took a little more time before coming to a conclusion.

Captain Pilkington

On a point of order. In view of the question whether or not it is in order to ask Questions about private enterprise, would it be in order, Mr. Speaker, to refer to the previous Question, No. 44, which was about articles produced by private enterprise?

Mr. Speaker

That is not a point of order.