§ 3. Dr. D. Johnsonasked the Attorney-General whether he is aware that Members of Parliament who have shown 613 interest: in the question of individual grievances continue to receive correspondence from individuals who allege they have no adequate means of obtaining proper investigation of complaints against authority; and whether he will take steps to implement the proposal of the Whyatt Report for the institution of a British Ombudsman responsible to Parliament.
§ The Attorney-GeneralWith regard to the first part of my hon. Friend's Question, I have no information about the correspondence received by hon. Members on this subject. With regard to the second part, I would refer him to the Answer I gave last week to the hon. and learned Member for Ipswich (Mr. D. Foot) and the hon. Member for Ludlow (Mr. More).
§ Dr. JohnsonWhile appreciating that my right hon. and learned Friend has this matter under consideration, as he said in his Answer, may I ask him if that Answer is not something of a fence-sitting formulary? Is he not aware that individuals aggrieved in this fashion, concerning whom I can pass on to him ample correspondence if he wishes, are, failing an appointment of this kind, apt to take the only constitutional way they have of expressing their dissatisfaction otherwise at the polling stations? Will not he and his right hon. Friends descend from the fence while the fence is still there to descend from?
§ The Attorney-GeneralI would require a very substantial fence, but I am not sitting on one at the present moment. I am sure that my hon. Friend will appreciate that the Report, interesting as it is, raises difficult questions of both principle and practice, and the examination of it must necessarily be detailed, and, therefore, must involve some considerable time.