§ Mr. Arthur Lewisasked the Prime Minister whether she will introduce the necessary legislation to prevent any former Minister of the Crown from publishing in any form his memoirs or stories of activities whilst a Minister until he has left office for a period exceeding five years.
§ The Prime MinisterNo. Former Ministers are expected to conform to the principles and procedures recommended in January 1976 in the "Report of the Committee of Privy Counsellors on Ministerial Memoirs"—Cmnd. 6386—which was accepted by the Government and by the Opposition at that time, but I share the view of that Committee that legislation is not an appropriate way of protecting the State's interest in these matters.