Frank Dobson: How can the Secretary of State talk about a programme that is based on what he described as the cautious assumptions of the CEGB against the background of the technologically and financially disastrous AGR programme? No doubt there were cautious assumptions in 1965 when that programme was launched. The board managed to get one station to work in 15 years. On its own estimates, which it...
Frank Dobson: Will the Attorney-General, in his new role as the Santa Claus of the Establishment, cast his mind back to the time when he was talking about the Clay Cross councillors and, as reported in The Times, said that no democracy could survive when people decided to obey only laws that suited them? Does he agree that the decision at which he and the Director of Public Prosecutions have arrived is a...
Frank Dobson: Does the Minister accept that his decision to allow the torture of a British citizen to go unpunished means that he should in all conscience call in all existing British passports and cause to be struck from them, as a dead letter, those parts that require foreign Governments and citizens to afford the bearer such assistance and protection as may be necessary? It is clear that the Government...
Frank Dobson: Mr. Frank Dobson(Holborn and St. Pancras, South) rose—
Frank Dobson: Mr. Dobson rose—
Frank Dobson: asked the Attorney-General what plans he or the Director of Public Prosecutions has to shorten the time taken by the Director of Public Prosecutions to consider whether to recommend or authorise prosecutions.
Frank Dobson: How can the right hon. and learned Gentleman claim that the matter is kept under constant review when, as recently as 22 November 1979, in a written reply he was unable, as was the Director of Public Prosecutions, even to supply the average time taken to consider the cases that are submitted? Does not that indicate that the Director's office is incompetently managed?
Frank Dobson: On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. May I ask whether you have received any representations from the Attorney-General, to the effect that he wishes to make another statement to the House in order to correct the misleading impressions that he gave in his statement on 19 December? That statement referred to the decision not to prosecute under the Bingham report. To the questions that arose from...
Frank Dobson: On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. I seek guidance as to how we can make the Attorney-General come before the House in order to correct the false impressions that he gave in that statement.
Frank Dobson: I beg to ask leave, Mr. Speaker, to move the Adjournment of the House, under Standing Order No. 9, for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter that should have urgent consideration, namely, the decision of the Secretary of State for the Environment not to list a building of architectural and historic interest—the Jubilee Building in Covent Garden. It was built at the time...
Frank Dobson: Inertia reels.
Frank Dobson: Quite right, too.
Frank Dobson: The hon. Gentleman has seen the error of his ways.
Frank Dobson: The poisoned chalice.
Frank Dobson: I shall try to be brief in my contribution to what I think hereinafter will be known as the War of Jenkin's Cock-up rather than the War of Jenkin's Ear. I shall take as my theme two pledges made in the Conservative manifesto. It is the obligation to carry out the two pledges that has led to the Secretary of State sitting in the doghouse this evening. One of the pledges was to uphold...
Frank Dobson: I wish to register my objection to the way in which the Secretary of State brought pressure to bear in order to prevent legally constituted bodies from gaining legal advice. They therefore could not take the legal action that would have enabled them to do their jobs. Obviously, the Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham area health authority was doing its job better than the Secretary of State when...
Frank Dobson: To Rhodesia.
Frank Dobson: In a rowing boat.
Frank Dobson: I shall do my best to keep within the rules of order and, in view of Mr. Speaker's ruling earlier, it should be easier for me to do so on this item than it has been for certain other people. I shall not mention the sanctions-busting activities of BP, save to say that there is a rumour in the City that in an effort to export British expertise, BP, Shell, the Foreign Office and the Department...
Frank Dobson: I do not wish to challenge your ruling, Mr. Deputy Speaker, but in view of what happened in 1977 and what has happened in the past year, we ought to draw the attention of the Financial Secretary to the problems that he, the Treasury and the Bank of England may encounter in the massive transactions that are proposed for the future. I hope that it will be in order to draw those problems to the...