§ 12. Sir D. Walker-Smithasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements he has made for the conduct of a referendum on a major matter on which the nation's opinion is required; and whether he is satisfied that they can be put speedily into operation.
§ Mr. MaudlingNone, Sir. The second part of the Question does not therefore arise.
§ Sir D. Walker-SmithIs it not time that my right hon. Friend got on with the arrangements, having regard to the fact that it is clear that a referendum is constitutionally appropriate if it is a guide to parliamentary action and not a substitution for it and the fact that there is no other obvious way in which the test can be applied which the Prime Minister stated in May last year to see whether entry into the E.E.C. has the wholehearted support of the British people?
§ Mr. MaudlingI cannot agree. Our constitution provides for all matters, be they matters as serious as war and peace or the death penalty, to be decided by Parliament.