HC Deb 03 May 1966 vol 727 cc1422-3
Q6. Mr. Mapp

asked the Prime Minister to what extent the special responsibilities for the County Palatine will be covered by the Minister responsible for the Duchy of Lancaster; and if he will make a statement.

The Prime Minister

Exactly the same as with previous Chancellors, Sir.

Mr. Mapp

Is my right hon. Friend aware that there is a little uneasiness in Lancashire in so far as the duties of the Chancellor of the Duchy include magisterial appointments? Would my right hon. Friend agree to a little liaison between the present Minister, who is acceptable to all of us in a general sense, and possibly the Lord Chancellor on this matter?

The Prime Minister

As a fellow Lancashire Member, I am equally well aware of the feeling in the County Palatine on these questions. In recent years some of the very strong feelings expressed have been assuaged, not least by the machinery established by successive Chancellors of the Duchy over the past five or ten years. But if there is need for improvement or liaison, I know that my right hon. Friend will be prepared to consider it.

Sir R. Cary

Would it not be a good thing if the Chancellor of the Duchy were seen to do more within the frontiers of the Duchy? Thirty years ago, Chancellors of the Duchy used to discharge many public engagements within the Duchy. These matters do not arise in the case of the Lord President of the Council or the Lord Privy Seal. There is a moral obligation on the Chancellor of the Duchy to be seen more within the frontiers of the Duchy.

The Prime Minister

The hon. Gentleman may have missed what was done by my right hon. Friend the Minister without Portfolio, who is very assiduous in attending engagements of all kinds, within the County Palatine. I can remember a very large number of engagements which I attended, not only in my constituency but more widely, where the then Chancellor of the Duchy was doing exactly what the hon. Gentleman has in mind. Whether that was done by his predecessor I do not know, but it was certainly done by the last Chancellor of the Duchy.