§ 4.11 p.m.
§ THE EARL OF LONGFORDMy Lords, with your Lordships' permission, I wish to repeat a Statement which my right honourable friend the Prime Minister has just made in another place. Perhaps, again, your Lordships will allow me to use the words of the Prime Minister. They run as follows:
"With the approval of Her Majesty the Queen, Her Majesty's Government propose to introduce appropriate arrangements for making awards to industry which would provide means of recognising outstanding achievement by particular industrial units either in increasing exports or in technological innovation. These awards would be made by the Sovereign on the advice of the Prime Minister. A scheme will be worked out under the guidance of a Committee including representatives of industry.
"I am glad to be able to inform the House that His Royal Highness the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, has consented to act as Chairman of this Committee."
§ LORD DRUMALBYNMy Lords, may I thank the noble Earl the Leader of the House for repeating this Statement, and may I, on behalf of noble Lords on this side, welcome the proposal for collective recognition of collective achievements in the fields of exports and technological innovation? May I ask just two very brief questions? Does this mean any change at all in the existing system of individual recognition, where that is appropriate, whether to the head of a firm or to anybody else concerned? Secondly, may I ask the noble Earl the Leader of the House to say whether "achievement by … industrial units", the phrase he used, means achievement not only by independent firms, corporations and the like, but, in the case of big firms and big corporations, by individual units within such independent firms or corporations?
§ THE EARL OF LONGFORDMy Lords, I am most grateful to the noble Lord for his friendly remarks about this Statement—and I think I can satisfy him on both the points he has raised. It will still be possible for individuals 1268 to be recognised under the existing honours system (which I take it there is No 1ntention, therefore, of changing) for their personal contributions in either of the two fields. This will apply, as he recognises, to units, and will allow awards to be made not only to individual units of the big industrial groups but also, I may add, to sections of the nationalised industries. So I think I am replying to both the noble Lord's points in the way he wishes.
LORD REAMy Lords, I should also like, if I may, to thank the noble Earl the Leader of the House for this Statement. May I just ask him what he means by "individual units"? Will these awards be made to individual people who may not necessarily be employed in industry or commerce but may have some great contribution which is worthy of recognition? And can he say what form the awards will take? Will they be monetary awards, silver cups or what?
§ THE EARL OF LONGFORDMy Lords, I cannot, I am afraid, answer the last part of the noble Lord's question, because we must leave this very exalted Committee to work out the answers to it. I do not know that I can define a unit, except to say that I take it that it means more than one person. I do not think any self-employed individual will be able to count as a unit; but I am afraid we must wait and see what the term "unit" is taken to mean.