§ 2.36 p.m.
§ BARONESS BURTON OF COVENTRYMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the reasons compelling them to make good the deficit incurred between the income from appeals and actual expenditure by the British teams in the recent Empire and Commonwealth Games at Perth.]
THE MINISTER OF STATE, COMMONWEALTH RELATIONS OFFICE (THE DUKE OF DEVONSHIRE)My Lords, in view of the high cost of sending the British teams to Perth and in the interest of Britain being represented at this important Commonwealth occasion by a worthy team, the Government agreed, subject to the approval of Parliament and as a special case, that a contribution should be made to the administrative expenses of the Council for England for the Games for the purposes of the British team as a whole, to meet this deficit.
§ BARONESS BURTON OF COVENTRYMy Lords, without placing too much emphasis on the word "special", I was delighted that the Government had felt able to do this. If the noble Duke will not think me discourteous, I wonder whether I may frame a supplementary question in rather wider terms in the hope that the noble Viscount the Lord President will perhaps be drawn in. What I really wanted to know, in view of the fact that the Government have made this initial step, was whether the Leader of the House and his adviser on sport would consider applications on a reciprocal basis for world and European championships 782 in this current year? And may I ask the Lord President whether he would not agree that in this country it would seem that the best combination is one of voluntary contributions and official contributions? Could he hold out any hope for us?
§ THE LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL AND MINISTER FOR SCIENCE (VISCOUNT HAILSHAM)My Lords, the noble Lady must not try to lead me astray. My new appointment was designed so that I should consider the whole field, and that, of course, would include, among other things, the point which the noble Lady has raised. I should not like her to feel that this case, which was a special one, could necessarily be treated as a precedent.