CAB128-94_A1b — Page 187

CONFIDENTIAL

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NTARY

FIDEN

1. THE LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL said that Parliament would prorogue the following day. The successful completion of this session's programme was satisfying, although there were a number of lessons to be learned from the experience of the session which he asked colleagues to take into account in the handling of Bills in the new session. These included avoiding extending the scope of Bills beyond that originally agreed by QL and Cabinet, and avoiding adding to Bills as they went through Parliament unless this was strictly necessary to secure their

atisfactory passage. The problems encountered in handling business in the Commons towards the end of the present session hadowed much to the objections of MPs from mining

stituencies to the Associated British Ports

(No 2) Bill, but had also raised the whole question of the procedure followed by Private Bills. The business managers were considering what steps could be taken to avoid similar difficulties at the start of the new session, and in the longer term were looking at whether any changes were needed to Private Bill procedure.

Sanges

A success Dinar on the implications of the televising of the proceedife the House of Commons had been held for Cabinet Ministers the previous week, and two further seminars for junior Ministere planned. One point which had emerged strongly was that sters adjacent to a colleague who was speaking must take particular care not to do anything which would distract the teevasion viewer from the Minister speaking or appear out of keeping with the occasion. The suggestion that it would help Ministers and Opposition Front Bench Spokesmen if lecterns could be provide the Dispatch Box would need to be approved by the Speaker and the Commons Services Committee as

the speaker are the well as the Select Committed televising of the Proceedings of the House. It was already earthat the Select Committee on televising was opposed to the suggestion because it would involve adapting the traditions of the House to suit the needs of television. For the time beherefore no early moves in this direction were likely and Misters would need to devise their own pragmatic solutions to the problem.

THE PRIME MINISTER, summing up a brief discussion, said that previous as well as present Business Managers were to be congratulated on the successful completion of the Government's business for the session and the necessary conclusions should be drawn up for the drafting of future Bills. in the forthcoming Debate on the Address, it would be important to ensure that there was a range of good backbench speakers read participate on each day of the debate.

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The Cabinet -

Took note.

1

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