§ 35. Mr. Winnickasked the Lord President of the Council what progress is being made in his consideration of proposals for changing the procedure of summoning the Commons to hear the Royal Assent to Bills.
§ The Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (Mr. Richard Crossman)Consultations are proceeding and I am hopeful of an early outcome. I ought perhaps to warn the House that a number of changes that they might find attractive would involve legislation.
§ Mr. WinnickI am grateful for that Answer, but can my right hon. Friend say whether he intends to be rather more radical than some of his predecessors in clearing away a lot of the ceremonial nonsense? Is my right hon. Friend aware that calls for modernisation in the country can never be taken seriously until we are willing to modernise our own place of work?
§ Mr. CrossmanI can give that assurance. I should like to add that I am anxious for advance, but I do not want to prejudice it by any premature disclosure of what is going on.