– in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 20 January 1959.
Sir Eric Fletcher
, Islington East
12:00,
20 January 1959
asked the Attorney-General if he will arrange for the setting up of an appropriate committee to review the existing state of the law with regard to Crown privilege of documents.
Mr Reginald Manningham-Buller
, Northamptonshire South
No. The law and practice governing the exclusion of evidence in judicial proceedings in the public interest was reviewed as recently as 1956. The Government came to the conclusion that no Amendment of the law was required, but, with the object of minimising the prejudice which may be unavoidably caused to litigants by the withholding of evidence, decided that certain modifications should be made in the practice then current. An announcement to this effect was made by my noble Friend the Lord Chancellor in Another place on 6th June, 1956, and the whole question was very fully debated in this House on 26th October in the same year. I do not consider that there is any need for a further review of the position at present.
Sir Eric Fletcher
, Islington East
Is the Attorney-General not aware that those modifications which he announced have proved quite inadequate, and recent cases have shown that the existing system produces great injustice, being very largely condemned by the legal profession and going much further than is required on any grounds of national security? Would it not be much better, in doubtful cases, if it were left to the judge rather than the Minister to decide what documents should be produced in court?
Mr Reginald Manningham-Buller
, Northamptonshire South
I cannot accept any of the hon. Gentleman's statements.
The amendment of the law motion relates to the chancellor's Budget statement.
It is a general resolution laid before the House of Commons by the chancellor of the exchequer.
It enables the financial changes proposed in the Budget statement to be passed into law.
The amendment of the law is moved formally at the start of the Budget debate and, together with the Ways and Means resolutions, is voted on at the end of this debate.
During a debate members of the House of Commons traditionally refer to the House of Lords as 'another place' or 'the other place'.
Peers return the gesture when they speak of the Commons in the same way.
This arcane form of address is something the Labour Government has been reviewing as part of its programme to modernise the Houses of Parliament.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
