HL Deb 06 July 1967 vol 284 cc755-6

3.6 p.m.

EARL FERRERS

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 why an anonymous gift of £2 to the Ministry of Social Security was acknowledged in the Personal column of the Daily Telegraph on 28th June at a cost of £3.]

LORD BOWLES

My Lords, the sender of the money had specifically asked for its receipt to be acknowledged in the Personal column of the Daily Telegraph. But I accept that the request should have been disregarded, in view of the cost.

EARL FERRERS

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord for that reply. Can he say what is the smallest sum of money that one can donate to the Ministry of Social Security in order to achieve acknowledgment in the paper?

LORD BOWLES

My Lords, I wonder whether the noble Lord has a guilty conscience—this is conscience money, and perhaps he has. This particular request came from Brighton, and had the person sending it asked for it to be acknowledged in the Brighton Gazette or whatever the name of the local paper is, it would have cost only about 5s. and no harm would have been done. I might inform your Lordships that during the last four years the Department have received over £1,700 anonymously, and expenditure on Press advertisements of acknowledgments over this period was £12.

LORD SEGAL

My Lords, can my noble friend say what additional cost over the figure of £3 has been incurred by the tabling of this Question?

LORD BOWLES

My Lords, I had thought of that, and I had thought of asking one of my noble friends to put it, but I considered that on the whole Ministers should not run away but should stand up to their responsibilities.

LORD ERROLL OF HALE

My Lords, can the noble Lord say what the Department does if the acknowledgment is requested in a newspaper which does not have a Personal column?

LORD BOWLES

My Lords, I have no idea.

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