§ Captain Kerbyasked the Prime Minister if he is aware of the general Ministerial practice in refusing to supply information to the House regarding details of sums of money expended by Government Departments in the form of payments to individual firms; and if he will give instructions that such details should in future be disclosed.
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§ The Prime MinisterMinisters must retain discretion to withhold information when they consider that it is in the public interest to do so. It would not be desirable to limit that discretion by general instructions of the kind suggested by my hon. and gallant Friend.