§ 40. Mr. William Hamiltonasked the Lord President of the Council what progress has been made in the inter-party talks concerning the establishment of a compulsory public register of Members' outside financial interests.
§ The Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (Mr. James Prior)The hon. Member will appreciate that the discussions that are going forward on these matters are confidential. I will ensure that the House is informed of the outcome as soon as possible.
§ Mr. HamiltonCan the right hon. Gentleman tell the House frankly whether the Government are serious about the matter or whether they are just engaging in a sham exercise that no one need take seriously? If the latter is the case, we had better understand it now. Is not there increasing evidence, almost day by day, of the desperate urgency of having such a register, so that the public may be assured that the vast majority of Members are not corrupt, that they have not got outside financial interests which corrupt them, but that there are some who have, and they should be exposed?
§ Mr. PriorI can assure the hon. Gentleman and the House that the Government are taking the matter extremely seriously and wish, as does the hon. Gentleman, to protect the vast majority of Members from the innuendos that are sometimes cast upon them. But, as the hon. Gentleman and the House know, it 1133 is a complicated and difficult matter. The negotiations are protracted, but I hope that very soon they can be brought to a successful conclusion, because I am certain that it is in the interests of the House that action should be taken in the near future.