Register of Members' Interests

HC Deb 24 June 1985 vol 81 cc631-2

32. Mr. Winnick

asked the Lord Privy Seal if he has received any proposals for changes in the Register of Members' Interests.

Mr. Biffen

The Select Committee on Members' Interests has recently reported to the House and recommended that various categories of non-Members having access to Parliament should be required to register details of their employment outside the House.

Mr. Winnick

While welcoming that recommendation, which I hope will soon be implemented, may I ask whether the right hon. Gentleman is aware that a further change that is undoubtedly required is for right hon. and hon. Members to state in the Register the source and amount of income received? Does he agree that without details of the amounts of money received, the Register is of limited importance?

Mr. Biffen

The hon. Gentleman is right to remind us of the limitations of the Register and, therefore, of the extent to which one should try to place significance on it. In calling for the degree of relevation contained in his supplementary question, I think he will find that he has touched on a very controversial issue indeed.

Mr. Harris

Will my right hon. Friend stick to his present line of refusing to recommend to the House the setting up of a register of political lobbyists, partly because to do so would be giving a bogus status to those lobbyists, but also because the House cannot enforce the present Register of Members' Interests, since the right hon. Member for South Down (Mr. Powell) cocked a snook at the requirement to register his interests?

Mr. Biffen

I very much agree that whatever the House decides in this area should be related to enforceability. On reflection, I think that the evidence that I gave on this issue was well placed.

Mr. Faulds

Will the Leader of the House accept that I share the animadversions of my right hon. Friend the Member for Fife, Central (Mr. Hamilton) on the recent report on lobbying? Does he agree that it was an extraordinarily superficial exercise? Is it not time that we had a much more stringent and profound examination of the whole question of Members' interests and lobbying in the Palace?

Mr. Biffen

The hon. Member for Walsall, North (Mr. Winnick) has only recently commended the report. However, it has now been attacked by two hon. Members. That goes to demonstrate that there is no general judgment of view upon it. I take the hon. Gentleman's point about the significance—

Mr. Faulds

Has the right hon. Gentleman read it?

Mr. Biffen

Yes, I have. I trust that I am joined in that eccentricity by the hon. Gentleman.