§ MR. EVANSsaid, he wished to ask the Vice President of the Committee of Council on Education, Whether he will lay upon the table of the House the Report made by Professor Simonds by order of the Privy Council upon a case of cattle plague alleged to have occurred upon the farm of Mr. Archer at Burnaston, in the county of Derby; and, if he is not prepared to do so, whether he will state to the House the substance of that Report?
§ LORD ROBERT MONTAGU, in reply, said, he was unable to lay the Report asked for by the hon. Member upon the table. Such Reports had always been refused, on the ground that they were confidentially made to the office. The local authority was provided with its own Inspector, whose certificate was final. By the 29 Vict. c. 2, s. 9, the disease was cattle plague if he certified it to be so. Any questioning of his decision would load to complications and litigation as regarded compensation. For where a beast had been slaughtered which had not cattle plague there would be no claim for compensation under the Act, and the remedy would lie in an action at law. It had been decided, accordingly, that whether the Report made by a separate officer for the information of the Government were confirmatory or not, it should not be made public.
§ LORD ROBERT MONTAGUsaid, he could not make the substance of the Report public without contravening the rule he had just mentioned.