§ 45. Mr. Emrys Hughesasked the Prime Minister if he will satisfy himself, before appointing members of the proposed Royal Commission on the Press, that they are not shareholders, directly or indirectly, in Odhams Press Limited, the Daily Mirror Newspapers Limited, the Thomson Newspapers Limited or in any companies interested in advertising or newspapers.
§ The Prime MinisterI am satisfied of the integrity of the persons that I have 1373 invited and I do not propose to question them about their shareholdings.
§ Mr. HughesDoes the Prime Minister realise that while he is waiting to form the Royal Commission the deed has been done, and does he think that he is now more powerful in this country than Mr. King?
§ The Prime MinisterThat is a quite different question and is about whether certain transactions are going through. This was a Question as to whether when asking certain gentlemen to serve on the Commission I should inquire as to their particular shareholdings.
§ Mr. JayIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that the Parliamentary Secretary to the Board of Trade said just now that the Government were giving attention to the possibility of discouraging this merger from going through while these bodies were sitting? Can the Prime Minister tell us how the Government will achieve that desirable objective?
§ The Prime MinisterI made it clear in my statement—I heard what my hon. Friend said—that we were not proposing that the Commission should deal with these particular transactions—we have no power to do so. But I thought that it was possible that those who arrange to undertake these transactions, or any others, would bear in mind that the Commission was sitting.