§ Mr. JOHN ELLIS (Notts.,) RushcliffeI beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether he is aware of the great and growing interval which often elapses between the Order of the House being given for the printing of a Return or Paper and its distribution among Members; whether this often arises from the detention of proofs of the documents in the Public Departments longer than is necessary; and, whether he will cause steps to be taken to ensure the more prompt distribution of these documents?
§ *MR. W. H. SMITHI would point out to the hon. Member that after an Order has been given by the House for the printing of a Return, it has to be prepared, and some Returns are of so intricate a nature as to require much 1246 time for their preparation. If the hon. Member will give me the name of any particular Return which he considers has been unduly delayed by the Department concerned, I shall be quite ready to draw their attention to the allegation of the hon. Member, but it is quite impossible for me to deal with any general complaint unsupported by details.