§ 13. Mr. Wiggasked the Minister of Defence what powers he proposes to take to direct that disciplinary action should be taken against those serving in the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force or against officials whose salaries are borne on Votes other than those for which he is responsible.
§ Mr. SandysI see no need for such powers.
§ Mr. WiggIn reply to my right hon. Friend the Member for Easington (Mr. Shinwell), the Minister made it quite clear that he had considered whether disciplinary action was justified or not. Therefore, is it not very necessary that, before making replies of that kind, he should be aware of the limitations upon his own powers, unless he propeses to increase them?
§ Mr. SandysMy feeling is that the Service Departments are well able to look after discipline themselves. That does not mean that I am not perfectly entitled, in reply to the right hon. Member for Easington, to make such comments as I think desirable.
§ Mr. G. BrownBut is not the right hon. Gentleman getting away from his original Answer? Originally, he answered the Question put by my right hon. Friend the Member for Easington on the basis that he had decided whether disciplinary action should be taken or not. Has he the power to decide, or is there a power which rests with his right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State? If it is the latter, should he not have phrased his original Answer quite differently?
§ Mr. SandysI do not know whether the right hon. Gentleman has my Answer in front of him.
§ Mr. SandysI have not. Anyhow, we cannot deal with it in that way now at Question Time. I certainly do not think that I gave an Answer which implied that I had powers of disciplinary action.
§ Mr. SandysI did make a comment on whether or not I thought disciplinary action was called for, which is quite a different matter.
§ Mr. Shinwell indicated assent.
§ Mr. SandysThe right hon. Gentleman the Member for Easington nods his head in agreement with me.
§ Mr. BrownI will not be provoked into saying whether that intimidates me or encourages me; that is for the House to decide. Will the Minister look again at the original reply which he gave and see whether it accords with the powers which he has in fact got?
§ Mr. SandysI will see whether it accords with what I have just said.
§ Mr. ShinwellAs I put the original Question and I heard the original Answer, I really have no comment to make other than to say that I do not want to cause a row.