§ 43. Mr. Whitehead asked the Lord President of the Council if he is satisfied with the facilities for the disposal of waste in the Palace of Westminster.
§ Mr. Edward ShortYes, Sir. However, if my hon. Friend wishes to raise a particular matter I shall arrange for it to be considered.
§ Mr. WhiteheadDoes my right hon. Friend agree that one of the most important functions of Members of Parliament is to dispose of the enormous amount of waste paper sent to them through the post, in the form of unsolicited propaganda and circulars of one kind or another? The flood-tide of such paper has increased, but why has the size of our waste paper baskets shrunk by half? May we have larger baskets?
§ Mr. ShortI cannot answer that question but I shall be pleased to discuss it with my hon. Friend to discover the answer.
§ Mr. FairbairnIn view of the very great deal of waste on the Government Front Bench, will the Lord President arrange for its immediate disposal by having an election?
Mrs. Dun woodyIs my right hon. Friend satisfied with the waste of time that affects hon. Members who have offices in the Norman Shaw Building and who would occasionally like to get in touch by telephone with those offices, but who at present find it virtually impossible? Moreover, does the gloom in which we are now plunged mean that the waste of money in Government circles is such that we have been unable to pay the electricity bill?
§ Mr. ShortNo, Sir. There is no waste of money in Government service—none at all. My hon. Friend has raised the question of telephones in the House, but she has made no complaint to me about the matter. If she cares to make a complaint I shall be pleased to look into it.
§ Mrs. DunwoodyThat is factually inaccurate.
§ Mr. PeytonI ask the Leader of the House to look at the Official Report for many years back to see whether he can find any precedent for a Leader of the House giving the sort of answers that he has given this afternoon.