§ 33. Mr. Rankinasked the Civil Lord of the Admiralty when he expects that the Polaris submarines will arrive in the Holy Loch.
Mr. C. Ian Qrr-EwingI cannot disclose the movements of this important component of the Western deterrent. I think the operational reasons are obvious.
§ Mr. RankinHow could the movement of Proteus, the feeder ship, be disclosed? Would it be true to say that really the hon. Gentleman knows as much about the movements of the Polaris submarine as he knew about the movement of Proteus? This alliance is not so close as we were told during Monday and Tuesday. Will he consider coming clean and telling us exactly what he knows 1580 about the movement of the Polaris submarine? When will it arrive in the Clyde? Surely he knows that.
§ Mr. Orr-EwingI do not know, and if I did know I would not tell the hon. Gentleman or any other hon. Member.
§ Mr. SpeakerCommander Courtney.
§ Mr. SpeakerI called the next Question, having heard the ground of refusal.
§ Mr. RankinOn a point of order, Mr. Speaker. Surely when the Minister in charge of this tremendously important Department knows nothing about the movement of ships like the Polaris submarine we are entitled to take the question further?
§ Mr. SpeakerI took the view not. I called the next Question.
§ Mr. PagetMr. Speaker, surely this is a highly important question. I do not know whether you recollect, but the main case which we made with regard to this Polaris base was the great danger to security. Now we are told that far security reasons we must not be told of ships coming to where everybody sees them.
§ Mr. SpeakerI meant no discourtesy or any denial of the importance, but the rule is that if a Minister says that he will not answer on security grounds, that is a permitted ground of refusal. It was for that reason and no other that I called the next Question, and I am afraid that I must persist in what I. said.