§ SIR ALEXANDER GORDONasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, If he has yet been able to ascertain whether the irregularity of the Report of the Royal Commission on Trawling having been sent to the newspapers one week before it was laid upon the Table of this House, is owing to a breach of confidence on the part of the Government printer, or any other person having official access to the papers of the Commission; and, if not, could he explain the way in which it occurred? He begged to say that it was not his intention to make any insinuation against the Government printer or any other official; but he had not been allowed to put the Question as he framed it.
§ SIR WILLIAM HARCOURTsaid, that, so far as he could make out, there was no breach of confidence on the part of anyone. The Report of the Commission ought to have been sent to the Home Office; but by some blunder it was sent to the Board of Trade. It reached the Board of Trade on the 28th of February; but it did not find its way to the Home Office till last Saturday. In the meantime, it was supposed that the Report had been sent to the Home Office, by whom it would have been communicated to the Queen and to the House of Commons, and in consequence of that the Report was allowed to be published. The whole thing arose from the blunder of sending it to the Board of Trade, who could not communicate the document to the Queen or the House of Commons.
§ SIR ALEXANDER GORDONWhen will it be circulated?
§ SIR WILLIAM HARCOURTIt was circulated last Monday.
§ SIR ALEXANDER GORDONIt has not yet been circulated.
§ SIR WILLIAM HARCOURTThen I shall make inquiries.
§ MR. RAIKESDo I understand the right hon. Gentleman to state that the publication referred to was made by some official of the Board of Trade?
§ SIR WILLIAM HARCOURTNo, Sir; I understand that either the Chairman or the Secretary of the Commission, believing it to have been duly communicated to the Queen and the House of 871 Commons, thought, in the ordinary course, it might be circulated.