§ 26. Mr. Dalyellasked Lord President of the Council how often reports from the Committee of Privileges have been debated in the present Parliament.
§ The Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons (Mr. John Biffen)None of the three reports made by the Committee of Privileges this Parliament has been debated.
§ Mr. DalyellWill the Leader of the House be spending many hours in the coming weeks concentrating on the work of the Committee of Privileges in Room 12, deciding whether to persecute a Lobby journalist for doing his job rather well? Would it not be better if the Committee of Privileges devoted its attention to Mr. Paul Foot's article in the Daily Mirror of Thursday, revealing that there was a treaty bound in red leather, awaiting signature in Lima on Sunday 2 May, and to asking why, instead, the Prime Minister averted her eyes from peace and decided to sink the Belgrano for her own domestic political purposes?
§ Mr. BiffenI expect that I shall spend many hours doing various things over the next few weeks, but they will not include the study of the reports to which the hon. Gentleman refers. If he has any reason to believe that Mr. Paul Foot has breached privilege, it is open to him to come to the House and act accordingly.
§ Sir Dudley SmithWhile the principle of parliamentary privilege must be sustained in a democracy like ours, does my right hon. Friend agree that there might be a good case in the next Parliament for having a general review of privilege, particlarly into the procedures governing the way that evidence is taken and witnesses are interrogated?
§ Mr. BiffenI would not dismiss that proposition, but I should point out that the present procedures were introduced only in 1978. We should reflect on that before having yet another inquiry.