§ 3.39 p.m.
§ LORD LYLE OF WESTBOURNEMy Lords, I beg to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask His Majesty's Government whether, in view of the fact that the estimated expenditure for Government Information Services in 1950-51 re-mains at the very high level of £18,000,000, arrangements can be made for the issue of a White Paper giving shortly the reasons for this expenditure in the case of each of the Government Departments concerned, together with some note as to what is suggested are the advantages which have been and will be received as a result of the expenditure in question.]
THE MINISTER OF CIVIL AVIATION (LORD PAKENHAM)My Lords, as stated in a White Paper published in May (Command 7949), the estimated expenditure on Government Information Ser-vices, both at home and overseas, in 1950–51 is a little under £15,000,000. A short description of the scope of the Home Information Services is to be found in Command 7836, and more detailed information is provided in the Annexes to the Fifth Report from the Select Committee on Estimates, Session 1950. As regards the Overseas Information Services, it is anticipated that an examination will be conducted by the Select Committee on Estimates during the present Session. In view of the information which is already available and to be expected, we feel that the expense of an additional publication would be unjustifiable and I am afraid, therefore, that we 452 cannot agree to issue a White Paper on the lines suggested by the noble Lord.
§ LORD LYLE OF WESTBOURNEMy Lords, while thanking the noble Lord for his reply, may I ask whether expenditure has ceased, for instance, in the pathetic attempt to try and convince the Americans that nationalised industries over here are a brilliant success? And may I ask whether he does not think it would be better to divert to the newspapers a great deal of the paper which is now being completely wasted by the Information Services?
LORD PAKENHAMMy Lords, there are so many implications and direct statements in the commentary of the noble Lord that I can hardly attempt to correct them all. I would only say, with the greatest respect and friendliness, that in asking for this White Paper the noble Lord appears to be exhibiting the same kind of understandable thirst for information which has produced the expenditure of which he now complains.
§ LORD LYLE OF WESTBOURNEMy Lords, when I asked this Question before, I was given information about what was expended in America in trying to convince the Americans that our nationalised industries were successful.
LORD PAKENHAMMy Lords, I can-not undertake to reply without notice to questions about particular items, but I am not aware of the expenditure about which the noble Lord is speaking. So far as the success of the nationalised industries is concerned, or at any rate the one nationalised industry for which I am willing to accept responsibility, I claim that it is a great success.