National Board for Prices and Incomes (Hansard, 28 October 1965)

§ 27. Mr. Fisher
asked the First Secretary and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs if he will now authorise the National Board for Prices and Incomes to select the price arrangements and wage settlements it wishes to examine.

§ The First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Economic Affairs (Mr. George Brown)
No, Sir.

§ Mr. Fisher
As the right hon. Gentleman, I think rightly, has confidence in the Prices and Incomes Board, would it not be logical to give them the right of choice as well as recommendation and to produce an atmosphere of greater impartiality and independence for the Board?

§ Mr. Brown
In view of the hon. Member's use of the word "rightly" in commending what I have been doing, may I ask him to convey that to some members of his own Front Bench? On the second part of his supplementary question, the answer is still "No" because the whole policy right from the beginning, agreed by everyone except the Opposition Front Bench, has proceeded on the basis that the Government in the end should decide which cases should go to the Board.