46. Mr. H. Wilsonasked the Prime Minister whether, in the light of his reply to the right hon. Member for Huyton, on 31st October, about a statement made by the President of the Board of Trade, he will instruct Ministers, especially those having a responsibility for trade and industry, to desist from speculating in private conversations or otherwise on the desirability of particular changes in taxation.
§ The Prime MinisterNo such instructions are called for.
Mr. WilsonIs the Prime Minister aware that the matters on which this Question was based have no relation to recent events and that it was put down very many weeks ago? Since the Chancellor on Tuesday said that the spreading of such a rumour as was emitted by the President of the Board of Trade would do a great deal of harm to commercial interests, would not the Prime Minister look at the matter again and at any rate encourage his Ministers to desist from speculating about future Budget changes?
§ The Prime MinisterIn fact, there has been no speculation by Ministers about impending or probable changes in taxation. If my right hon. Friend was correctly reported, he said that he would 1141 like to see a different system of taxation. There are a lot of things that we should like to see, but we may not live to see them.
§ Mr. JayIf the Prime Minister feels unable to send general instructions in this sense, would it not be worth sending special instructions to the President of the Board of Trade?
§ The Prime MinisterI do not think the second barrel was any better than the first.
§ Mr. E. JohnsonWould not my right hon. Friend agree that there is much wisdom in the saying that "People who live in glasshouses should not throw stones"?