HL Deb 30 November 1972 vol 336 cc1413-4

3.28 p.m.

EARL ST. ALDWYN

My Lords, with the leave of the House, my noble friend Lady Tweedsmuir will be making a Statement at a suitable moment after 3.30 p.m. about the Icelandic fishing dispute.

LORD BYERS

My Lords, may I ask the Government Chief Whip why, when we have the responsible Minister in this House, we should have to wait until after 3.30 o'clock and wait on another place? I am sure that the noble Baroness has her Statement ready. Would it not be possible for this House to take the lead in this matter?

EARL ST. ALDWYN

My Lords, this is a Statement which, as I understand it, is basically being made by the Foreign Secretary. The Foreign Secretary is the Head of his Department, and although he may have sent one of his assistants to undertake these negotiations he is responsible for his Department and therefore has the prior claim to make the Statement.

LORD SHACKLETON

My Lords, if I am correct, the Statement is not the same, because it begins, "I met Icelandic Ministers". Perhaps I should apologise to the Government for revealing that; but it is no secret. May I ask the noble Earl whether he is aware that this is a difficulty that used to confront us when we were in Government, and that we used to try to split the difference? Whereas noble Lords opposite usually wait for the Miinster in another place to get up, if the Minister who was responsible for the negotiations was in this House I always used to get up sharp at 3.30, whatever went on in another place; and if I might go on for another thirty seconds I would suggest that the precedent which we established then might well be adopted on this occasion. But if that is going to get the noble Earl the Leader of the House and the Government Chief Whip into great trouble, we will not press them. However, it would seem that since it is so near the magic hour now—

EARL ST. ALDWYN

My Lords, perhaps the noble Lord the Leader of the Opposition was going a little too far in divulging the fact that he was conscious of the contents of the Statement which was going to be made—

LORD SHACKLETON

My Lords, I apologise for that.

EARL ST. ALDWYN

—but I do not think we should alter the arrangements, certainly on this occasion. I have no objection whatever to going into this question through the usual channels, to see whether we can reach a satisfactory arrangement. Unlike the noble Lord the Leader of the Opposition, I have not seen the Statement yet so I do not know what it contains and to what extent the words differ from those which will be used in another place; but I suggest that we might carry on as I have indicated and wait for a suitable moment after 3.30, which means when the Foreign Secretary gets up in another place. One cannot guarantee that it will be at 3.30; that will depend on the business preceding the Statement given in another place.