HL Deb 15 December 1966 vol 278 cc1754-6

3.12 p.m.

BARONESS EMMET OF AMBERLEY

My 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 are aware that the type of conference in H.M.S. "Tiger" has the advantage neither of orthodox secret diplomacy in delicate matters nor of the ordinary Summit Meeting with reasonable access for the Press; and whether this new method does not encourage leakage of information which cannot readily be verified.]

THE LORD PRIVY SEAL (THE EARL OF LONGFORD)

My Lords, no. Her Majesty's Government are sure that this method does not have the disadvantages attributed to it by the noble Lady.

BARONESS EMMET OF AMBERLEY

My Lords, while thanking the noble Earl the Leader of the House for his reply, I should like to ask whether he is aware that I am asking this Question in sorrow, because we all wished the Prime Minister to succeed. But I also want to ask whether this new form of diplomacy or dramatic secrecy, without the Press, as exemplified in the "Tiger" episode, is a precedent which is going to be followed, because I do not think it is a very good one.

THE EARL OF LONGFORD

My Lords, I think I had better call the attention of the noble Baroness to the Prime Minister's own answer which he gave at London Airport, when he returned and was asked why this method had been adopted. He pointed out at that time—this was after his return—that a meeting of this kind and sensitivity should be conducted away from the external Press and public relations pressures which normally apply to international conferences. He felt that in this sense the conference had been uniquely successful.

I hope that the noble Baroness will not think mediscourteous if I also call her attention to the Report in May of the Procedure Committee, in which they deprecated the growing habit of incorporating statements of opinion in Starred Questions which are really intended, as the Procedure Committee pointed out, to elicit information from the Government.

LORD OAKSHOTT

My Lords, on the general point in regard to the last part of my noble friend's Question, would the noble Earl the Leader of the House agree that there are times when it is not so much a question of leakage of actual information as of pure conjecture—quite understandable conjecture—which, if it is inaccurate, as it quite often is, is inclined to endanger the outcome of whatever talks may be taking place?

THE EARL OF LONGFORD

My Lords, I am not quite sure that I follow the thought in the mind of the noble Lord. I should have thought this conference had been very successful in keeping from the world what was being said, and what was going on, until after the agreed time limit. In that sense, as the Prime Minister said, the conference was uniquely successful. If the noble Lord agrees with me there, I am not sure where, if at all, we differ.

LORD OAKSHOTT

My Lords, if the noble Earl will allow me to say so, I agree with him absolutely on that. But my point was that on the more general line of conferences of this type, when I think you are bound to get conjecture by the Press of the world about what is going on, which inevitably must be inaccurate at times, you may get positions taken up in the public mind which can endanger the ultimate outcome and effect of the talks which are taking place.

THE EARL OF LONGFORD

My Lords, I am quite ready to agree that that can happen in any high-level conference, but I should have thought that on this occasion those dangers were well coped with.

BARONESS EMMET OF AMBERLEY

My Lords, may I thank the noble Earl for drawing my attention to the Report on matters of Questions? Had I known that I could enlarge on this Question by means of an Unstarred Question, I should have done so.

THE EARL OF LONGFORD

My Lords, the noble Baroness is a well-established Member of this House and I am delighted to think there are a few things which have escaped even her attention.

VISCOUNT ST. DAVIDS

My Lords, would not my noble friend the Leader of the House agree that the finest method of keeping anything secret was to give the handling of it over to the Silent Service?

THE EARL OF LONGFORD

My Lords, I am sure that that is absolutely right.