CAB129-45 — Page 109

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Printed for the Cabinet. March 1951

CONFIDENTIAL

C.P. (51) 88

19th March, 1951.

CABINET

Copy No.

29

DUTIES OF THE LORD PRIVY SEAL AND THE LORD PRESIDENT OF

THE COUNCIL

NOTE BY THE PRIME MINISTER

The recent Ministerial changes have called for some redistribution of duties; and it may help my colleagues to have this note of the duties which are now to be undertaken by the Lord Privy Seal (Mr. Bevin) and the Lord President (Lord Addison).

2. The Lord Privy Seal will have the following responsibilities:

(i) Home information services. Mr. Bevin will take over the Ministerial responsibility for home information services previously exercised by Mr. Morrison when Lord President, including responsibility for general questions of policy affecting the Central Office of Information. He will also be Chairman of a Cabinet Committee on Home Information Services. (The existing Committee on Information Services will be replaced by a Home Information Services Committee under Mr. Bevin's Chairmanship and an Overseas Information Services Committee under the Chairmanship of the Foreign Secretary.)

(ii) Broadcasting and the Press. Mr. Bevin will assume responsibility for major questions of broadcasting policy and for general questions affecting the Press.

(iii) Socialisation of Industries. Mr. Bevin will take over the Chairmanship of the Socialisation of Industries and Civil Aviation Committees. In this capacity he will be responsible to the Cabinet for the co-ordination of policy affecting the socialised industries and for promoting, in concert with the Departmental Ministers concerned, the efficient operation of those industries.

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Roswelsh Ufffers. — Mr. Bevin will assume generaßfedponability for the work

of the Council for Wales and Monmouthshire.

(v) Emergencies.-Mr. Bevin will take over from the Home Secretary the

Chairmanship of the Emergencies Committee.

3. In addition to his Chairmanship of the Committees mentioned above, Mr. Bevin will be a member of the Defence Committee, the Economic Policy Committee and the Commonwealth Affairs Committee.

4. Further duties may be assigned to Mr. Bevin in due course. In particular, I now have under review the existing distribution of Departmental responsibility for raw materials, and Mr. Bevin may be asked to assume some continuing responsibilities in that connection.

5. The Lord President (Lord Addison) will have the following responsibilities:

(i) He will remain Leader of the House of Lords. As such he will continue

to be a member of the Legislation and Future Legislation Committees. (ii) He will be Chairman of the Lord President's Committee. (iii) He will have the Lord President's responsibilities for scientific research (civil) and will exercise general supervision and co-ordination over the application of science to the business of Government.

(iv) In addition to the Committee duties mentioned above, the Lord President will be Chairman of the Machinery of Government Committee and a member of the Economic Policy and National Health Service Committees.

6. Parliamentary Questions on scientific questions within the sphere of the Lord President's duties will be answered in the House of Commons by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department.

10 Downing Street, S.W. 1,

19th March, 1951.