§ following Question stood upon the Order Paper:
§ Q10. Sir JOHN LANGFORD-HOLTTo ask the Prime Minister, what is the total number of D Notices issued to the Press in the last six months of 1966 by all Departments; and how this figure compares with the same periods in 1965 and 1964.
§ The Prime MinisterWith permission, Mr. Speaker, I would now like to answer Question No. Q10.
No D Notice was issued by the Services, Press and Broadcasting Committee in any of the periods mentioned.
I would, however, like to add one comment. As the House knows, the system under which these notices are issued has worked well on a voluntary basis for many years, and that means on the basis of confidence and trust between the authorities concerned and the Press. The procedure is described in Chapter 9 of the Radcliffe Report (Cmnd. 1681 of 1962), which stresses that
Its success depends upon goodwill and, in effect, upon very little else.Unfortunately, the confidence and trust, which are the basis of the whole system, have been called into question by the action of one newspaper in initiating this morning a sensationalised and inaccurate story purporting to describe a situation in which in fact the powers and practice have not changed for well over 40 years.
§ Sir J. Langford-HoltCan the right hon. Gentleman be sure, as his Answer appears to state by implication, that it is his policy and the policy of his Government to restrict to an absolute minimum, only in cases where national security is involved, the issue of D Notices?
§ The Prime MinisterYes, I can confirm that. That is the policy of the present Government, as it was of previous Governments ever since this system was initiated. What I am concerned with today is a clear breach of two D Notices, despite the fact that the newspaper concerned was repeatedly warned that it would be contravening the notice. This, I think, creates a very difficult situation 1433 for the other newspapers which have honoured this arrangement throughout.
§ Mr. LiptonIn order to be more precise, will the Prime Minister say that what he is referring to now is the fact that there was no substance whatsoever in the alleged censorship of cables, private and business, emanating from this country?
§ The Prime MinisterI propose neither to add to nor subtract from my original statement about the story which some of us read in the Press this morning. All I am saying is that the powers and practice in this respect have not changed for well over 40 years.
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. Prime Minister to answer Question No. 16.