DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC AFFAIRS (Hansard, 10 November 1966)

§ Q8. Mr. Goodhart
asked the Prime Minister what proposals he has for strengthening the Department of Economic Affairs.

§ The Prime Minister
The Department has all the powers that it needs to perform its duties, Sir.

§ Mr. Goodhart
Is the Prime Minister aware that one of the most notable recruits to the D.E.A., Mr. Samuel Brittain. has recently written that the last Ministerial changes "mark the end of the D.E.A. as a major influence on economic policy"——

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. Hon. Gentlemen must not quote during Question Time.

§ Mr. Goodhart
Is the Prime Minister aware that the T.U.C. apparently endorsed this judgment by insisting that the Chancellor attend all its meetings with the First Secretary of State?

§ The Prime Minister
Mr. Samuel Brittain is perfectly entitled to write what he wants and to hold his own opinions. They do not happen to be my opinions or the opinions of my right hon. Friend. I have had no suggestion that the T.U.C. believes that the D.E.A. has not the power that it needs. The reason why it wanted the presence of my right hon. Friend was that certain of the issues that it wanted to discuss were affairs coming purely within the responsibility of the Treasury.

§ Mr. Atkinson
Would my right hon. Friend now agree that following the excellent policy initiated by the Treasury in introducing the Selective Employment Tax—[Interruption.]—I repeat the excellent policy initiated by the Treasury—the time has now come to transfer this job to the Department of Economic Affairs in order that this tax can be replaced by a levy to develop the purposive planning that we have in mind?

§ The Prime Minister
I am old-fashioned enough to believe that taxation matters should be the concern of the Treasury.