§ 18. Mr. Freudasked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he will state his most significant achievements as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster over the last six months.
§ The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Mr. Norman Tebbit)To have ensured the continued efficient administration of the affairs of the Duchy.
§ Mr. FreudWould the Chancellor welcome the setting up of a judicial appointments commission, which would minimise the personal patronage available to holders of his office and to the Lord Chancellor when appointing judiciary?
§ Mr. TebbitThat question should be primarily one for my noble Friend the Lord Chancellor, but for my part I have to say that it would be such a breach with the past and with the system that has worked extremely well in the county palatine that I would not myself welcome it in the Duchy.
§ Mr. ViggersDoes my right hon. Friend agree that among his many achievements, one of the most significant has been to expose the glaring inconsistencies of the political party that has effectively voted "Don't know" on nuclear disarmament?
§ Mr. TebbitI have tried to tell the people of the Duchy about those matters. In particular, I should welcome the opportunity perhaps even to lead some sort of group to discuss those matters in the Duchy, in which the leaders of the Liberal and Social Democratic parties could have another one of their standing punch-ups on whether they are unilateralists, disarmers or would-be buyers of cruise missiles.