Mr. Charles Powell

HC Deb 24 April 1989 vol 151 c656

95. Mr. Dalyell

To ask the Minister for the Civil Service if he will arrange for Mr. Charles Powell to give a lecture at the Civil Service college.

Mr. Luce

There are no plans to do so.

Mr. Dalyell

How about a title such as, "Recent developments in Civil Service ethics, which allow a principal private secretary to the Prime Minister to authorise and to give approval to the unauthorised disclosure of a Law Officer's letter"? If that title is not good enough, how about, "The role of a principal private secretary to the Prime Minister in preserving the Prime Minister from a position of having misled the House of Commons and the consequences of misbehaviour"?

Mr. Luce

I am not sure how many times over the past three years that the hon. Gentleman and I have had exchanges across the Floor.

Mr. Dalyell

Seventeen.

Mr. Luce

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for providing me with that additional information. It feels like 17. The position is absolutely clear. We have made statements time and again in the House. I am glad to say that Mr. Powell, who served me in 1980 when I was Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with responsibility for Africa, is an outstanding civil servant.