§ Q7. Mr. Dalyellasked the Prime Minister what progress Her Majesty's Government have made in furthering their policy objective of promoting open Government.
§ The Prime MinisterIt remains the object of the Government to provide as much information as possible on Government affairs.
§ Mr. DalyellAs it is concerned exclusively with civil nuclear power, may I ask why the Government are so coy about publishing the Vinter Committee Report?
§ The Prime MinisterThere will be at any time a considerable number of reports prepared for the Government's internal purposes. As for this one, I do not think that the hon. Gentleman is quite right in his description of it. On the other hand, there are matters on which the Government have reached the point of putting forward proposals, and this Government have done more than any other to publish them in a form in which there can be full public discussion.
One need only consider the list of Green Papers on V.A.T., corporation tax, local government finance and Government research and development, all published in a form which has never been done before. My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer has undertaken to publish a Green Paper on the tax credit system. We have put forward for public discussion papers covering a very wide sector of the economy indeed.