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Sutherland Inquiry

The Secretary of State will be aware that I previously served as a Minister in his Department. We had our share, too, of administrative difficulties of the kind that he has described today, although not on the same scale. Will he reflect first on the fact that non-departmental public bodies should never be used as a smokescreen for any inefficiency on the part of Ministers? Secondly, will he at least search his conscience to satisfy himself, because if everybody else has failed, it is miraculous that Ministers have somehow absolved themselves from any share of the blame? Finally, and much more importantly as we look forward, will he explain to the House why, if he and his senior management were free from blame, the situation is likely to be different on any future occasion when it comes to reporting, asking the salient questions and getting the right result?