HC Deb 19 January 1972 vol 829 cc459-61
36. Mr. Arthur Lewis

asked the Lord President of the Council to what extent following the Government's decision to enter the Common Market, the Clerk/Administrator has put in applications to recruit staff to deal with the 1,500 and more rules and regulations in the Vote Office; what was the decision of the Staff Board on these applications; what recommendations have been made to the Accounting Officer; and with what results.

The Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (Mr. William Whitelaw)

An application for the recruitment of additional staff to the Vote Office is still under consideration.

Mr. Lewis

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware—surely he is—that he will have to get a move on? He knows that we both examined these orders, which it has taken the Government 12 months to produce, and that they are a pile almost 3 ft. high and weighing almost 1 cwt.? The staff in the Vote Office are rupturing themselves moving them for hon. Members. The right hon. Gentleman must surely be aware that something must be done, because hon. Members are now asking whether they can bring their cars into the House to collect these orders and the staff are objecting to having to get them all up to Members. Most hon. Members have not seen them. Will the right hon. Gentleman get on with the job to see that there is adequate staff in the Vote Office?

Mr. Whitelaw

However all that may be, it is very important, seriously, that, in questions of staff matters in this House, I should stick rigidly to the view stated by my distinguished predecessor, Lord Aylestone, on this matter; that it is not in the best interests of the staff that such matters dealing with their recruitment and other questions of their employment be dealt with by means of question and answer in this House.

41. Sir D. Walker-Smith

asked the Lord President of the Council whether he intends to place in the Vote Office for the use of hon. Members copies of the opinions and other documents referred to or incorporated in the English text of the Secondary Legislation of the European Communities.

Mr. Whitelaw

The instruments published in the pre-accession series of English texts were, before enactment by the Community, the subject of detailed consideration in the institutions of the Community and, where appropriate, reference is made in the instruments to the opinions expressed by those institutions. But the definitive result is contained in the substance of the instruments themselves.

Sir D. Walker-Smith

Will my right hon. Friend accept that to whoever else he may apply that argument, he cannot hope to apply it successfully to those who have practised in the law? Will he also accept that no document can be properly interpreted without reference to those documents which are specifically referred to therein? Will he please reconsider, if necessary in conjunction with his right hon. and learned Friend the Attorney-General, the propriety of his answer?

Mr. Whitelaw

As I would not wish in any way to cross swords with my right hon. and learned Friend in matters of the law, I will certainly look into what he suggests.

Mr. John Mendelson

Will the Leader of the House also consider adding to the documents the opinions given by Mr. Schumann when they directly contradict the interpretations given to the documents by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, as happened, for example, at a Press conference in Brussels following the decision on the sugar producers' contribution? Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that any different interpretations of the documents should be made available to hon. Members before the debate?

Mr. Whitelaw

I do not accept either what the hon. Gentleman suggests or the premise on which he puts it forward.

Mr. Michael Foot

When the right hon. Gentleman has done what he has promised to do in response to the request of his right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Hertfordshire, East (Sir D. Walker-Smith) and has examined afresh his answer to this Question, may I ask him to say how, assuming that his right hon. and learned Friend is correct in this matter, he proposes to present these matters to the House? May we be told the general form in which they will be presented and the type of documents that will be laid? May we also be told what notice we shall receive before the documents are laid?

Mr. Whitelaw

That must await the further consideration which I have promised.