§ 12. Mr. DalyellTo ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to paragraph D4.42 of Lord Justice Scott's report, if a fear of strong public opposition was a factor in determining the nature of the answer to the hon. Member for Linlithgow concerning al-Hillal deemed by Sir Richard Scott to be a deliberate failure to inform Parliament. [18700]
§ Mr. DalyellAs a former Secretary of State for Scotland, the right hon. Gentleman will have as little stomach as I have for indulging in Question Time today, in the light of Dunblane.
With regard to al-Hillal, why was the House of Commons deceived? That is what Lord Justice Scott said. If the specific questions that I tabled on al-Hillal had been answered truthfully, would not the whole course of events in the arms-to-Iraq saga have been different? Should there not have been a truthful answer to a proper parliamentary question?
§ Mr. LangIt remains the Government's clear and very firm view that the House of Commons was not deceived. I recognise that Sir Richard Scott concluded that some of the information given to the House, whether in parliamentary answers or in correspondence, was inaccurate, but he also acknowledged the good faith and sincerity with which those views were advanced by my right hon. and hon. Friends. It is quite clear that they did not knowingly mislead the House. It remains my view, and that of my right hon. and hon. Friends, that the House was not knowingly misled.