§ THE EARL OF LAUDERDALEMy 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 when the MIDA working group held its first meeting, how often it will meet, and in what areas it will seek outside professional advice.]
EARL FERRERSMy Lords, the Interdepartmental MIDA Working Group was set up and held its first meeting in July, 1969. It last met just before the announcement concerning the more limited study. An inter-departmental sub-group of this Working Group is conducting the study and is to meet as and when necessary. It remains to be seen in what areas professional advice may be sought.
§ THE EARL OF LAUDERDALEMy Lords, in thanking the noble Earl for that Answer may I ask him whether he is aware that the Administration to which he provides a rich and welcome adornment was elected on a slogan of "Action, not words"? And is he aware that the letter which he wrote to me the other day, to the effect that some work has been done on this subject every day during the past two months, was somewhat ingenuous, if not misleading, in that in fact there is not a single whole-time civil servant engaged in this matter? Will he do something to hurry it up and give the project the serious and earnest attention that it demands?
EARL FERRERSMy Lords, I accept my noble friend's interest in this matter, but he will realise that the whole object of this limited study is to provide a quicker answer to the solution than would 1064 have been likely under the previous considered study. I can assure my noble friend that in fact a great deal of work is being gone into by the Group, and I would suggest that he should not regard the urgency with which the Government consider this matter as reflected by the number of meetings which the whole-time Working Group has held.
§ LORD VIVIANMy Lords, can my noble friend say whether the study group will pick the brains and world-wide expertise of Sir William Halcrow and Partners, whom the previous committee declined to consult after they had presented their report in 1969?
EARL FERRERSMy Lords, it is not the intention that individual contributions will necessarily be sought, but if submissions are made these will doubtless be taken into account. One certainly accepts the reference to Sir William Halcrow which my noble friend made.
§ THE EARL OF LAUDERDALEMy Lords, may I ask one further question? As to the seriousness with which the Government regard this matter, does not my noble friend agree that a tally of one meeting of the study group and one of the economic steering group within two months does not indicate any great urgency? Will my noble friend consult with his and my noble friend Lord Jellicoe and ask him whether he will bring in our aid the earnestness which he brought to the study last April, when he begged the last Government to get on with it?
EARL FERRERSMy Lords, I can only refer my noble friend to the fact that it is precisely because of this study that the Government are getting on with it, because they intend to have a reply a great deal earlier than would otherwise have been the case. I think we need to be careful not to get into a huge amount of detail as to how working groups, sub-groups and everyone else operate within a Ministry. But the fact is that the Working Group is a substantial body of people and it was considered more efficacious that the work should be done by a more limited and more convenient sub-committee. This is one of the ways in which my noble friend will be able to achieve the objective that he desires.
§ THE EARL OF LAUDERDALEMy Lords, does the noble Earl think that work like this can be done by half-timers?