Failings of bureaucracy
Sir: The Leslie Chapman affair raised some disturbing issues, although anyone familiar With government or official bodies will feel indignation rather than surprise. I hope I am wrong, but I think the whole affair will he a nine-day wonder, causing merely a temporary embarrassment.
The Commons Public Accounts Committee has for years published horrifying accounts of waste, yet they still occur. Why?
!ve ask ourselves. As proven incompetence 1,8 no bar to employment in the Civil Service land probably no bar to promotion either), then there is no incentive to save or to Change the status quo. This must indicate to the Civil Service that the Commons Public Accounts Committee is a paper tiger.
If I heard him correctly on the World in Action programme, Mr du Cann, the Com nuttee's chairman, said that he thought it
inconceivable that a senior Civil Servant should attempt to mislead them. Such faith (1, oes him credit, but it seems he may have 'peen wrong. Others may be less surprised than he.
If further investigation takes place, Perhaps the revelation of deception as well as of incompetence will enable the tiger to acquire some teeth. This would be fine, but the repeal of suitable sections of the Official Secrets Act would be better still. Shall we see such reforms? I would like to think so, but I doubt it.
Incidentally, why has Mr Chapman not een prosecuted under the Act? He seems be clearly in breach of it. John Fraser
6 Sally Port, ,Br,ompton,
lillingham, Kent
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