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15 DOCUMERegas PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAP489 f5VERNMENT)
SECRET
C.P.(51) 136
18TH MAY, 1951
•
CABINET
COPY NO. 31
INFORMATION SERVICES COMMITTEES
MINISTERIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND COMMITTEE STRUCTURE
Note by the Secretary of the Cabinet
The Prime Minister has decided that the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations shall be responsible for the co-ordination of information services, including general questions affecting the Press and the B.B.C., and that he shall be Chairman of two Ministerial Committees dealing with Information Services at home and overseas.
2.
The existing Information Services Committee, which comprises both home and overseas Ministers, will be discontinued. In its place there will be constituted two Ministerial Committees, one for Home Information Services and the other for Overseas Information Services.
The Home Information Services Committee will have the following terms of reference:-
"To keep under review the working of Government Information Services in the United Kingdom; to co-ordinate, as required, the publicity programmes of the home Departments; and to consider such other related problems as may be referred to it by the Cabinet."'
The membership of the Committee will be as follows:-
Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations (In the Chair) Minister of Defence
President of the Board of Trade
Minister of Labour and National Service
Minister of Fuel and Bwer
Minister of Food
Minister of Health
Postmaster-General
Financial Secretary, Treasury.
This Ministerial Committee will be assisted by the existing Home Information Services (Official) Committee, which will retain its present constitution and terms of reference.
3.
The Overseas Information Services Committee will have the following terms of reference:-
"To keep under review Government publicity to countries overseas and
the working of government Information Services opersense and to consider such other related problems as may be referred to it by the Cabinet.
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