§ LORD MITCHISONMy Lorth, 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 are the duties of the Queen's Remembrancer and whether they include, or can be extended to include, reviving from time to time the Government's recollection of the Royal and Departmental Commissions and Committees about which they were asked on May 8, 1968.]
§ LORD BESWICKMy Lords, I am sure that my noble friend, as a distinguished member of the legal profession, is more familiar than I am with the duties of the Queen's Remembrancer. I understand, however, that in addition to his duties as senior master of the Supreme Court, he has ceremonial duties formerly associated with the Court of Exchequer, including duties in relation to the warrants of appointment of the Sheriffs of the City of London. I do not think that it would be appropriate or necessary to extend his duties in the way my noble friend suggests, but I appreciate the characteristic and gentle humour of his reminder.
§ LORD MITCHISONMy Lords, while thanking my noble friend for that very informative Answer, may I ask whether he could tell me two things? If the Queen's Remembrancer cannot do it, could not the Government keep a list of the Royal and Departmental Commissions and Committees which they appoint? It is, of course, the prerogative of a Labour Government that the right hand should not always know what t the left hand is doing. Is not this a case of pushing it rather far, and would my noble friend try an elephant—because elephants, I understand, never forget anything? Or, failing an elephant, would he accept from me my small contribution of a sixpenny exercise book and a sharpened pencil to keep the list? May I ask my noble friend one further question? Could he give an indication of the tribal dances which are performed by the Queen's Remembrancer? They might be interesting.
§ LORD BESWICKMy Lords, I am not certain about the value of elephants in this matter, but I have arranged, if the noble Lord will be so good as to accept that invitation, for him to see members of the Treasury so that some of the difficulties inherent in his question of May 8 can be explained to him. I hope he will be good enough to go along and discuss these difficulties with the Treasury. As for the second part of his question about the ceremonial duties, I understand that they involve the Trial of the Pyx and the receipt of quit rents from the City of London in respect of the tenure of the "Moors" in the County of Salop and "the Forge" in the parish of St. Clement Danes. Furthermore, I understand that these rents are payable in nails and horseshoes on the morrow of St. Michael, or between that day and the morrow of St. Martin. The noble Lord will be quick to appreciate that there are certain difficulties involved in extending the duties as he suggests.
§ BARONESS SUMMERSKILLMy Lords, if it is the duty of the Queen's Remembrancer to jog the memory of the Government, would it be in order for him to remind the Government that the Labour Party have for the last fifty years promised that equal pay would be introduced?
§ LORD BESWICKMy Lords, I thought the burden of my answer was that it was not the duty of the Queen's Remembrancer to do what the democracy of this country should do; namely, to jog the memory of the Government.