HC Deb 30 January 1967 vol 740 c18
26. Mr. Eyre

asked the Minister of Public Building and Works whether he will produce an annual report on the work of his Department.

Mr. Prentice

No, Sir.

Mr. Eyre

As the Minister of Housing and Local Government has coyly deferred his annual report for 1965–66, are we to understand that the Minister of Public Building and Works would refuse to make a report because he would be afraid of publishing the contents?

Mr. Prentice

If I did publish a report, it would be on my own responsibilities and not those of my right hon. Friend. There has been no annual report from the Ministry of Works since 1951—in other words, none was ever published when hon. Members opposite were in office—because it was felt that the information we had to communicate could better be communicated by other means and that reports would be superfluous. I think that this was a correct decision. I am not aware of any general demand that we should publish an annual report.