Information Services (Publications)

HC Deb 17 May 1965 vol 712 cc995-6

39. Sir J. Eden

asked the Paymaster-General what regular publications are now being sponsored by the Government's information services.

Mr. Wigg

I am making inquiries and I will ensure that the result is communicated to the hon. Gentleman.

Sir J. Eden

That reply is even more irrelevant and displays a greater degree of ignorance than is normally shown by the right hon. Gentleman. Would he make some attempt to show some courtesy to the House of Commons and give us at least a reasonable Answer to the Question on the Order Paper?

Mr. Wigg

The hon. Member does not seem to be aware that his Question covers the whole range of Government information services. I am not responsible for that. I am responsible only for the home services. In answer to the Question, I am telling the hon. Member that I am not in a position to give the information which he wants at this stage. I am therefore making inquiries. That is quite proper.

Mr. Boyd-Carpenter

Is it not the right hon. Gentleman's duty to answer Questions in this House? Since my hon. Friend's Question relates only to "regular publications", why does the right hon. Gentleman not know the answer?

Mr. Wigg

I could give an answer, but I prefer to give an accurate one. [HON. MEMBERS: "Oh."] I am sure that this seems foreign to the right hon. Gentleman, looking back on his past record. The Question relates to a whole range of Government activities. If the hon. Member for Bournemouth, West wants a specific answer on the foreign services he must put down Questions to the Departments concerned. If he wants an answer to those relating to the C.O.I. then I can give it to him, but I am not sure of the points at this stage, since exhaustive inquiries have not yet been made. Therefore, I prefer to wait and then give a full and accurate answer.

Mr. Ridsdale

Is it not time that the Paymaster-General arranged some training courses for the civil servants in his Department?

Mr. Wigg

I should have thought that even the hon. Gentleman would have concentrated his attack on me and not on my civil servants.

Mr. A. J. Irvine

Is it not perfectly clear that the Question about regular publications is full of ambiguity and that nobody knows the real answer? [Interruption.]

Mr. Wigg

My hon. and learned Friend is perfectly correct. It is an appalling reflection on the ignorance of hon. Gentlemen opposite that they do not know that there are some publications which are paid for—and for which, therefore, one can get the information from the Stationery Office—while other publications are free and are put out by Departments. In view of this, it takes a fair while to get the sort of information sought in the Question.