HC Deb 28 April 1986 vol 96 cc656-7
27. Mr. Dalyell

asked the Lord Privy Seal what consideration he has now given to the case of Jim Smith, pursuant to his answer, Official Report, 25 March, column 879.

Mr. Biffen

I confirmed in my letter of 16 April 1986 to the hon. Member that I had asked my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Defence Procurement to write to him about the issues raised on 25 March. He has now done so. The hon. Member has already approached Her Majesty's Treasury about its policy for payment of compensation and has received a reply.

Mr. Dalyell

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that that ridiculous letter arrived half an hour ago? As an independent member of the public, what does the Lord Privy Seal think should be done to protect the interests of whistle blowers and deep throats who have saved the Treasury a great deal of money by their actions?

Mr. Biffen

The hon. Gentleman will appreciate that Ministers with departmental responsibilities for these matters can more appropriately answer that question. The hon. Gentleman will also appreciate that in the Easter and May Day Adjournment debate I said that I would contact my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence which I have done.

Mr. Campbell-Savours

Is the Leader of the House aware that it is now 12 months since I raised this matter, and I have repeatedly raised it. Is he aware that in the past 12 months I have driven much information on this matter into the Public Accounts Committee? That Committee may be about to report on those matters. Does the right hon. Gentleman accept that it is the only Committee in the House which is equipped to establish the truth of what happened in the case of the Aish company and Mr. Jim Smith?

Mr. Biffen

Earlier this afternoon I had the advantage of listening to the exchanges between the hon. Member for Linlithgow (Mr. Dalyell) and my right hon. Friend the Member for Taunton (Sir E. du Cann) on the work of the Public Accounts Committee in this respect. I shall take account of what the hon. Gentleman has said, and I am sure that hon. Members in all parts of the House will be interested in the findings of the Public Accounts Committee, whatever they are.

Mr. Soames

Does my right hon. Friend agree that if the Government were less secretive the House would be able to do its job a great deal better? What steps will he take to ensure that we can have a freedom of information Act?

Mr. Biffen

I think that that goes much wider than this question. In this respect, I point out to my hon. Friend that earlier in the life of the Government, in all good faith, we mounted a freedom of information Bill which encountered so much ambiguity and anxiety that, in the end, the measure ran into the ground.