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Honours System (Reform)

: The point that I was making is that an independent body that is divorced from the political process should determine whether someone should receive an honour. There should be a legitimate political nominating process but the selection process should be independent. Presumably an independent panel would not make such a selection on party political grounds or because of a contribution made to a party political organisation. I do not think we disagree substantially on that, but I may not have made myself clear. There is a gap in the report, although under the terms of reference it might not have been thought appropriate to consider it. It was recognised by my hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent, North (Joan Walley), who has now left the Chamber. There is an inability in the present honours system to recognise the contribution made by people who are now dead. The rationale for the honours system is that it is based on community values, and my hon. Friend the Member for Cannock Chase said in the opening speech that honours are important symbols of what is valued in public life. He also said that it was legitimate for a Government to use the honours system to promote certain values in the community. I believe that that, in essence, is what my hon. Friend was saying. Honours may reflect the values of society, but they also promote them, because they uphold those who exemplify such values as things to be followed and to inspire others. I believe that a number of people who are now dead should be honoured, because they would fulfil that purpose. My hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent, North mentioned R.J. Mitchell, who designed the Spitfire. I too have someone in mind: a person from West Bromwich who exemplifies the sort of qualities that should be recognised publicly and have been recognised by other countries. Hon. Members present might have signed an early-day motion that I tabled approximately one year ago to honour Madeleine Carroll, the film actress. For the benefit of younger Members, including the Minister, I should explain that Madeleine Carroll was a film actress. She was born in 1906, and this year is the 100th anniversary of her birth. She grew up in West Bromwich, the daughter of a French teacher in the local grammar school. She was one of the first female graduates of Birmingham university and was therefore a pioneer in female education. She taught French in local schools, then decided to become a film actress. She starred in the first version of ““The Thirty-Nine Steps”” as the lead opposite Robert Donat, in ““Secret Agent””, Alfred Hitchcock's follow-up film in 1936, and in many other films. She was Bob Hope's favourite blonde. In 1941, Madeleine's sister was killed by a bomb in London during the blitz. Thereafter, she devoted her life to working for the Red Cross in field hospitals in France and Italy, and subsequently for the United Nations as a spokesperson, supporter and propagandist on behalf of UNICEF. If anybody wants to read an inspiring speech, I suggest that they read her contribution when, in 1949, she became the first ever female to speak at the international conference of the Rotarians. She spoke about UNICEF and the work that she was doing with children and refugees, many of them severely damaged as a consequence of the war. Madeleine's contribution was recognised by the French with the légion d'honneur and by the Americans with the medal of freedom. I wrote to the Cabinet Office to ask that she be granted an honour and was told that posthumous awards could not be made. She exemplified the very qualities that we have spoken about today for underpinning the honours system: excellence—she was a world-class, iconic actress of her day; sacrifice—she experienced at first hand the horrors in field hospitals during the second world war; and service to others—she took up a cause that was hugely important but totally unrecognised in the immediate aftermath of the war. Surely the Minister will recognise that such a contribution should be acknowledged and that there should be within the honours system the flexibility to be proactive in singling out people who have made a huge and genuine contribution and who are inspirational figures. Unusually for me, I shall refer to Lord Hurd's evidence to the Select Committee. The report stated:"““When honours recognise truly distinguished service or outstanding achievement, they can inspire real enthusiasm, reinforce public pride in achievement, and ‘make the country feel good about itself' in the words of the Wilson Review. This is particularly noticeable when honours strike a chord with local or regional loyalties.””" This honour would strike a chord with local and regional loyalties, as those qualities that I mentioned are essential to enabling deprived urban communities such as those that I represent to give young people values to uphold, recognise, follow and be inspired by. I ask the Minister, please, to look at that issue. I hope that Madeleine's contribution can be truly recognised and that her role in inspiring young people in areas such as mine will live on in their aspirations.