§ Mr. WinnickTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if any office and other facilities are provided by his Department for former Ministers; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he is providing(a) office accommodation and (b) privileged access to Government records to the hon. Member for Derbyshire, South (Mrs. Currie).
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeBy convention, former Ministers are allowed reasonable access to the papers which they handled when they were in office. Departments make suitable arrangements for this on request. The former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health, made such a request and has been given the temporary use of a room in the Department and the part-time assistance of an administrative officer to manage and safeguard the papers. I understand that several former Ministers of this and former Governments have been given similar facilities in various Departments in recent years.