HC Deb 07 April 1960 vol 621 cc554-5
30. Mr. Peyton

asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will publish as a White Paper the full terms and conditions of any agreement made with a private firm under the Local Employment Act whenever such an agreement is concluded.

Mr. J. Rodgers

No, Sir. As my right hon. Friend told the hon. Member for Thurrock (Mr. Delargy) in an Answer he gave him last week, it would not be proper to disclose details of assistance given or promised to individual firms under the Local Employment Act.

Mr. Peyton

This will not do. Will my hon. Friend undertake to inform his right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade that it is simply not good enough to obtain from Parliament a blank cheque for the spending of large sums of money and then not even to report the progress of the spending? Will my hon. Friend please bear in mind that even the Pekinese-type of Parliament which we now have is deserving of a little bit more than these elderly crumbs of information which we are promised?

Mr. Rodgers

Perhaps, in his intemperate language, my hon. Friend has forgotten that my right hon. Friend has already promised to consider what general information about assistance that is provided under the Act should be included in the annual report that we intend to present to Parliament.

Mr. Emrys Hughes

On a point of order. I should like your guidance, Mr. Speaker, whether this reference to the Pekinese in Parliament is in order?

Mr. Speaker

I have no doubt that there is a variation between Pekinese, so that I would rather not rule.