§ 16. Mr. Spriggsasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many constituents of the hon. Member for St. Helens have written to him about the Budget; and what were his replies.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterIt would require a disproportionate amount of time and expense to assemble the information for which the hon. Member asks. Letters addressed direct to my right hon. Friend, and not through hon. Members, are not recorded on a constituency basis.
§ Mr. SpriggsIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that my constituents feel that the Budget was most unjust, particularly to the poorer sections of the community, and that they draw his attention to the pensioners and the poorer wage groups, and they draw his attention to what is to happen in the autumn when the Government go to the country? Why is the right hon. Gentleman afraid to tell the House what my constituents think of the Government?
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterAs the hon. Gentleman, as far as I can see, did not himself, over the period, forward any such letters, I can only imagine that that supplementary question is based on intuition.