HC Deb 10 February 1971 vol 811 cc200-1W
Mr. Arthur Lewis

asked the Lord President of the Council whether he will cause an investigation to be made to ascertain how and why full details of the Government's proposals concerning the increase to £130 million for costs of maintaining troops in Germany, to be published in the Government's White Paper, were published and leaked to the Press on Friday, 29th January.

Mr. Whitelaw

No. My right hon. and noble Friend has no evidence that information on the Government's proposals has been leaked.

Mr. Arthur Lewis

asked the Lord President of the Council whether he will cause an investigation to be made to ascertain how and why, on Thursday, 28th January, and Friday, 29th January, the Press were able to publish full and complete details of the Government's Bill, yet to be officially published and laid before the House of Commons, concerning changes in social security payments to workers on strike.

Mr. Whitelaw

No, because the Press did not publish on 28th and 29th January full and complete details of any Bill.

Mr. Arthur Lewis

asked the Lord President of the Council whether he is aware that, on the morning of 28th January, full and complete details of the Government's cuts in expenditure were published in all of the morning newspapers and on the radio, many hours before the White Paper which later that day confirmed the leak; and whether he will cause an investigation to be made to ascertain how and why this leakage to the Press took place.

Mr. Whitelaw

No.

Mr. Arthur Lewis

asked the Lord President of the Council whether he will cause an investigation to be made to ascertain how the Press were able to publish details of the Wilberforce Committee of Inquiry's Report before it was presented to Parliament; and, as this is but one of some eight such cases of official Government information being leaked to the Press before Parliament has been informed, if he will move for the appointment of a Select Committee to investigate all these cases.

Mr. Whitelaw

The hon. Member will no doubt observe from the statement made this afternoon by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment that the various forecasts which have appeared in the Press do not correspond very accurately with the findings of the Wilberforce Inquiry. I will not, therefore, cause an investigation to be made to ascertain how the Press made their forecasts.