§ 2.48 p.m.
Baroness WARD of NORTH TYNESIDEMy 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 were consulted before the showing of the "Panorama" programme about NATO on Monday 16th June.
§ Lord WINTERBOTTOMMy Lords, "Panorama" asked for and obtained background briefing from the Ministry of Defence when preparing the programme, and my right honourable friend the Secretary of State recorded an interview for it.
Baroness WARD of NORTH TYNESIDEMy Lords, I thank the noble Lord for that answer. May I, first, ask whether he would be kind enough to put the script in the Library of the House of Lords? May I also ask, as a great supporter of NATO, whether it would be a good idea if we could be told the reason for that most extraordinary programme? Is my noble friend not aware that large numbers of people in the country, not knowing very much about the subject, would feel that NATO came off very badly in the programme? Would it not be very much better if we could have the facts, and be told why the programme was permitted to be shown?
§ Lord WINTERBOTTOMMy Lords, taking the two points mentioned in the supplementary question of the noble Baroness, I will see whether it is possible to get the script put in the Library. I am not certain of the mechanics of this, but I will try.
§ Lord WINTERBOTTOMSecondly, my Lords. I should have thought, in view of the debates that have taken place in your Lordships' House, that this is a matter of real concern. For that reason, I should like to repeat a suggestion which I made earlier this month, that we might have a mini-debate or an Unstarred Question on the subject of standardisation.
Baroness WARD of NORTH TYNESIDEMy Lords, may I thank the noble Lord very much for that helpful answer. It is certainly in the interests of our security, and of NATO, that we should be able to deal with the matter in debate.