§ LORD CONESFORDMy 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 whether they will repeat the assurance given on the 26th November, 1959, that B.E.A. and B.O.A.C. will not subject their passengers to compulsory background music during flight.]
§ THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE FOR THE ROYAL AIR FORCE (LORD SHACKLETON)My Lords, this is a question for the commercial judgment of the Air Corporations. I am informed that at present neither B.O.A.C. nor B.E.A. have any plans for broadcasting music while aircraft are in flight.
§ LORD CONESFORDMy Lords, may I thank the noble Lord for his Answer? I recall that he was sympathetic to me on the earlier occasion referred to in my Question. Is he aware that such background music inflicts great suffering on many people, and, should either airline decide in future to subject their passengers to this unpleasantness, does the noble Lord agree that they should warn their intended victims before they pay for their tickets?
§ LORD SHACKLETONMy Lords, my previous intervention on the noble Lord's last Question was to request that there should be no "commercials" in "natural breaks" in aircraft, but I entirely agree with the noble Lord that we should like peace in the air, if not on the ground, and I hope that there will be no necessity for warnings to passengers.
§ LORD CONESFORDMy Lords, may I thank the noble Lord again for his sympathy on this occasion and say that the particular words he used on the last occasion which comforted me were "the unfortunate captives".
LORD FARINGDONMy Lords, this is not, perhaps, a permissible question arising out of the other, but it is relevant. I wonder whether my noble friend can tell me whether there has been any change in the rule prohibiting the smoking of cigars and pipes in aircraft.
§ LORD SHACKLETONMy Lords, I know the answer to that, but that is another question.