§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Prime Minister what is the present policy of Her Majesty's Government regarding ex- 446W Ministers writing their memoirs for private gain; to what extent it is Her Majesty's Government's policy to allow civil servants and ex-civil servants to dispute such writings in public utterances and correspondence to the Press; and whether he will take action to prevent such writings until the person concerned has been out of office for at least 10 years.
§ The Prime MinisterThere are well established conventions in this field, which are designed to maintain the standards of British public life and to protect the relationship of mutual trust and confidence between colleagues who share a collective responsibility. The application of these conventions in any individual case is mainly a matter of good taste and good judgment. But I believe that their voluntary acceptance by all concerned is more likely to be effective in preserving them than any arbitrary rule.