§ Q3. Mr. Blakerasked the Prime Minister when he next proposes to make a ministerial television broadcast.
§ Q8. Mr. Skinnerasked the Prime Minister if he has any plans to make a ministerial broadcast.
§ The Prime MinisterI would refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply which I gave on 7th November to my hon. Friend the Member for Goole (Dr. Marshall).—[Vol. 880, c. 206.]
§ Mr. BlakerWhen the Prime Minister makes such a broadcast, will he tell the country more about the claim that he made on 20th September, at the beginning of the election campaign, that
Cohorts of distinguished journalists have been combing obscure parts of the country with a mandate to find anything, true or fabricated, to use against the Labour Party"?Would the right hon. Gentleman now name the journalists and the newspapers, or withdraw what he said?
§ The Prime MinisterThere is nothing to withdraw. What I said was true.
§ Mr. SkinnerAs my right hon. Friend is not making a broadcast immediately, would he help the Chancellor of the Exchequer with his broadcast tonight? Would my right hon. Friend ensure that on the question of possible relaxation of price controls and corporation tax he explains precisely how that money will be ploughed into the necessary investment that we hear about so often? Can he tell us what controls we might have to deal with, say, money of that kind finishing up in the German property market, as it did last year?
§ The Prime MinisterI cannot anticipate my right hon. Friend's ministerial broadcast.
§ Mr. RostIf we cannot have the Prime Minister, can we have the Attorney-General to explain to the country what advice he gave to the Government on the Clay Cross scandal?
§ The Prime MinisterNo. I do not think there is any necessity for that. The Government have announced their collective decision. The hon. Member may be basing himself on some stories in the Press about advice that was not given to the Government but which is said to have been given on an earlier occasion and for which there is no ministerial responsibility either by my right hon. and learned Friend or by myself.
§ Mr. WhiteheadIn view of the question that began this exchange and in view of the recent imprisonment of Mr. Ronald Milhench for forgery, would my right hon. 238 Friend say whether he has received any apology from those hon. Members who were so free with innuendo and allegation in March of this year?
§ The Prime MinisterI have not, nor from the newspapers concerned, but I would not regard this as a fitting subject for a ministerial broadcast.
§ Mr. PeytonWhile I hope that the Prime Minister will spare the country the ordeal of a Prime Ministerial television broadcast, may I take him back to the point raised by my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, South (Mr. Blaker) and ask him whether those allegations were made for the purpose of browbeating the Press into silence or whether they were made for the purpose of a quite unfounded smear?
§ The Prime MinisterThe right hon. Gentleman is not at his best level. With regard to his hopes that I will not inflict a ministerial broadcast on the nation, in deciding to do so there are other considerations, apart from what I might want to say—for example, to give an opportunity to the Leader of the Opposition to get his say in as well. As for the latter part of the right hon. Gentleman's question, that statement was made because the facts were true.
§ Mr. HeathWhy is the Prime Minister so reluctant to substantiate the facts? He has said that when the time comes he will give them to the Royal Commission on the Press, I understand. It may be many years before the Royal Commission on the Press reports. Would it not be fair to all concerned for the Prime Minister quite simply in the House, where he has the benefit of privilege, to substantiate the facts?
§ The Prime MinisterMany of the facts are, as the right hon. Gentleman will know, being inquired into now by the police. If he did not know that, he has been far too busy recently to read the Press. I shall certainly present the evidence to the Royal Commission on the Press. I have been invited to do so by the Press Council, but neither the constitution nor the record of the Press Council would justify using it in any such inquiry.
§ Mr. HeathAs we do not know what the allegations are, how are we to know that the police are inquiring into them? 239 If the Prime Minister is not satisfied with either the Press Council or the long period which the Royal Commission on the Press may take to report, I repeat the invitation for him, with the benefit of privilege, to justify his statements to this House.
§ The Prime MinisterIt does not need the benefit of privilege. The right hon. Gentleman, shortly after the February election, gave the House the benefit of a debate on the Press on a Supply Day when these matters were to some extent raised. These facts are true and at the proper time they will be justified.
§ Mr. BlakerOn a point of order, Mr. Speaker. In view of the unsatisfactory nature of the reply, I beg to give notice that I shall seek an early opportunity of raising the matter on the Adjournment.