§ MR. HENRY H. FOWLERI beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether he will give instructions to the editor of Hansard that the speeches of hon. Members shall be reported in the first person only when the speeches are reported verbatim, and that Reports which are summaries of speeches shall be, as heretofore, reported in the third person?
§ THE SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Mr. JACKSON,) Leeds, N.In answer to my right hon. Friend I do not think it is desirable that I should give any instructions to Hansard. As I have previously stated in the House, the managers of the publication are very anxious to consult the wishes of Members generally. With regard to the question of reporting I dare say the right hon. Gentleman knows that the Committee who investigated the matter, and upon whose Report the present arrangements were made, were unanimously in favour of the reports being in the first person. I have received a letter from the Editor in which he informs me that he intends during the next week or so to take a sort of poll, by circular or otherwise, in order to arrive at the wish of the majority of Members on the subject, and upon that expression of opinion he proposes to act.
§ MR. H. H. FOWLEROf course those hon. Gentlemen who are reported verbatim will not object to a continuance of the present system. But Members who, like myself, have two or three sentences reported, like to have them in the 1257 third person, and not put down as the whole of their speech.
§ MR. JACKSONI am sure that the right hon. Gentleman is doing himself an injustice. I am certain he would not be reported in that way.