§ Q2. Mr. St. John-Stevasasked the Prime Minister whether Her Majesty's Government propose to introduce a Bill to establish a Parliamentary Commissioner or Ombudsman.
§ The Prime Minister (Mr. Harold Wilson)I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer I gave on 3rd May to a similar Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Hampstead (Mr. Whitaker).
§ Mr. St. John-StevasSince, in the experience of many hon. Members, the majority of complaints about injustice arise at local government level, would it not be much more sensible to allow the proposed Parliamentary Commissioner to start at the local government level and, if he is found useful, only then to extend his work to central Government?
§ The Prime MinisterI answered a similar Question on 3rd May. We should start at a national level. I do not think that we should try to give the Commissioner local government functions as yet, but I have said that there is nothing to stop particularly the larger local authorities appointing their own officers who could handle complaints and grievances of this kind.