HL Deb 01 December 1976 vol 378 cc278-9

2.53 p.m.

Lord SHINWELL

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 whether they will consider revising the publication Directory of Government Appointments to include the names of those appointed, the estimated expenditure on salaries, fees and other essential items (apart from expenditure incurred by civil servants); and what was the total of such expenditure in the past 12 months.

The LORD PRIVY SEAL (Lord Peart)

No, my Lords. The purpose of the Directory was to publish in a convenient form information about paid posts for the assistance of possible applicants. The information for which my noble friend asks about expenditure on salaries, fees and other essential items is not available centrally and the cost of assembling it would be disproportionate.

Lord SHINWELL

My Lords, is it not remarkable that we have these hundreds of appointments, entailing vast expense, and we do not know even the names of the persons who are on these boards and organisations, nor do we know what it is costing? Is that not a remarkable state of affairs and ought we not to know what is happening, and why have we so many of these appointments?

Lord PEART

My Lords, because we require people to do a responsible job. I am sure that when the noble Lord was a member of the Cabinet he adopted the same attitude.

Lord SHINWELL

My Lords, may I inform my noble friend that I never did anything of the sort. Is he aware that this is a development which has taken place over recent years and nowadays everybody expects to be appointed to something? Where is this thing going to stop and when will my noble friend see to it that we get the requisite information to which we are entitled?

Lord PEART

My Lords, if the noble Lord likes to table a Question to a Departmental Minister he can get the information. I was often questioned about appointments when I was the Minister for Agriculture. All I am saying is that this has been the usual practice for a very long time. The Directory is a valuable document, and added to that there is the White Paper, which covers salaries and appointments to boards of a commercial character.

Viscount ST. DAVIDS

My Lords, does the noble Lord not find it surprising that he and his Government continue to ask industry for the answers to questions quite regardless of the cost to industry, while he is still able to get up from the Front Bench and say that information is not available because it costs too much?

Lord PEART

My Lords, it is a good reason.