§ 16. Mr. Liptonasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many advisory boards now advise Her Majesty's Government at national level.
§ Mr. LiptonWith that wealth of advice available to the Government, how is it that they get into such a frightful mess? In dealing with all the problems with which they are called upon to deal, do the Government take the advice of these 850 bodies which advise them on a variety of topics?
§ Mr. SimonIt is partly, but not exclusively, due to the advice of these bodies that the Government's record has been such a triumphant one.
§ Mr. HirstIs my hon. and learned Friend aware that the number announced is little more than the number of Questions that we get from the hon. Member for Brixton (Mr. Lipton)—and we get too many of those?
Mr. H. WilsonAssuming that the Cohen Council is one of the 850 bodies, would the hon. and learned Gentleman say whether the disastrous fall in production this year was due to taking the advice of the Cohen Council, or have the Government done that one on their own?
§ Mr. SimonAs usual, that is a loaded supplementary question from the right hon. Gentleman, and, as so often happens, it misfires. The reports of the Cohen Council have been of the greatest value to the Government in giving 1306 information to the country at large upon which it can form informed judgments.