HC Deb 03 June 1890 vol 344 cc1852-4
MR. J. E. ELLIS

I beg to ask the President of the Local Government Board whether a letter, dated 14th May, addressed by him to one of his constituents, Rev. Peter Thompson, on the subject of the licensing proposals of the Government, has been printed in official form and sent, at the public expense, to the clerks of the Local Authorities throughout the country; and if this is in accordance with precedents?

*MR. RITCHIE

It is not the fact that the letter to which the hon. Member refers has been sent to the clerks of the Local Authorities throughout the country. I have received a very large number of communications with reference to the Local Taxation Bill, which were evidently based upon information supplied from two or three common sources, since in many cases they manifested similar misconceptions as to the nature and effect of the Government proposals. These misconceptions I endeavoured to remove in the letter to the Rev. Peter Thompson, and the transmission of a printed copy of that letter to my correspondents afforded, in my opinion, a satisfactory reply to their communications, and resulted in an economy both of labour and expense.

*MR. J. E. ELLIS

Is it not the fact that this communication has been sent to the Town Clerks?

*MR. RITCHIE

No, Sir, it is not the fact. It has not been sent to any Local Body to my knowledge. No doubt, if a Town Clerk wrote to the Board upon the matter in an individual capacity, a copy of the letter may have been sent to him, but no communication, either official or unofficial, has been sent to any Local Authority by the direction of the Local Government Board.

*MR. J. E. ELLIS

I really must press the right hon. Gentleman upon this point, because I hold in my hand a copy of this letter which has been sent to a Town Clerk. Is it possible that it may have been posted to a Town Clerk without the knowledge of the right hon. Gentleman?

*MR. RITCHIE

Of course I cannot tell what may have been done without my knowledge, but I cannot see how any official communication could have been made without my knowledge. Of course, if a Town Clerk wrote to make inquiries, it is quite possible that a copy of the letter may have been sent.

SIR W. LAWSON (Cumberland, Cockermouth)

I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty whether, in his speech at Acton on the 20th May, he, as reported in the West Middlesex Standard of 24th May, said that he would briefly summarise the proposals which the Government had this year brought forward for improving the Licensing Laws, and, in doing so, stated that the Government Proposed that the County Councils shall have control over all licences, and that to them the appeal and jurisdiction now in the hands of the Magistrates shall be transferred; and whether, in the event of his having been correctly reported, he has any objection to state in what measure introduced by the Government these proposals or provisions can be found?

*LORD G. HAMILTON

The statement in question is an incorrect version of the words actually used by me on the occasion.