§ MR. MACFARLANEasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, If he has received from the Metropolitan Board of Works the Report of Captain Shaw upon the Theatres and other places of public entertainment; and, if so, whether he will lay them upon the Table of the House? He asked the Question yesterday in the absence of the Home Secretary; but the hon. Member (Mr. Hibbert), who replied to the Question, was unable to explain the motives for withholding the Report.
§ SIR WILLIAM HARCOURT, in reply, said, that in regard to Papers of that kind it was more usual to state the reason for presenting them, rather than the reason for not doing so. He did not think there would be any advantage in laying this Report on the Table. It 481 directed certain things to be done, in order to remove dangers which were believed to exist. It would be very unfair to lay a Report of the dangers to which theatres were exposed on the Table, without, at the same time, explaining what had been done in order to remove them.
§ MR. MACFARLANEsaid, it was well known that these Reports condemned specifically certain theatres, and if it were not known which theatres——
§ MR. SPEAKERThe hon. Member cannot debate the matter; he can only put a Question.
§ MR. MACFARLANEintimated that on Monday he would ask the Home Secretary to specify the places so condemned, in order that the public might know which were safe and which unsafe.