Government Information Policy (Hansard, 19 December 1983)

§ 31. Mr. Winnick
asked the Lord Privy Seal if he will make a statement on the co-ordination of Government information policy.

§ Mr. Biffen
The Prime Minister has asked my right hon. Friend the Viscount Whitelaw to take responsibility for co-ordinating the presentation of Government policy in addition to his duties as Lord President of the Council.

§ Mr. Winnick
Since the Government's popularity is fast disappearing down the plug hole, why should the Prime Minister believe that Lord Whitelaw can do any better than the right hon. Gentleman?

§ Mr. Biffen
If there has been a temporary dip in the Government's popularity, I can think of no more formidable person to reverse that than my right hon. and noble Friend Lord Whitelaw.

§ Mr. Meadowcroft
Does the right hon. Gentleman accept that the Government's information policy problems are more the Government's secrecy problems? Will Lord Whitelaw be involved in them as well?

§ Mr. Biffen
I thought that there was a widespread belief that there were no secrets left in this Government.

§ Mr. Cormack
Does my right hon. Friend feel deprived?

§ Mr. Biffen
No.

§ Mr. Dalyell
On the question of secrets, what do the Government propose to do about the allegations in The Observer that it has received documents relating to the Secretary of State for Defence circulating his colleagues? Is he aware that some of us think that the freedom of the press is more important than any alleged leaks?

§ Mr. Biffen
As to secrets, the House should know that many years ago I sponsored the hon. Member for Linlithgow (Mr. Dalyell) to be chairman of the Cambridge University Conservative Association. The substantive part of the hon. Gentleman's question falls wide of the question tabled by the hon. Member for Walsall, North (Mr. Winnick).

§ Mr. Shore
As we all know that nothing is more important than the co-ordination of Government policy, and as we now know that responsibility for that has been transferred to Lord Whitelaw in the House of Lords, who in the House of Commons is the responsible Minister to whom we can put questions and bring to account for any failure in the Government's co-ordination of policies?

§ Mr. Biffen
The right hon. Gentleman will have noticed from today's Order Paper that I answer on behalf of the Lord President of the Council.