§ MR. A. A. BAUMANN (for Mr. WOOTTON ISAACSON)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether, in view of the termination of the Hansard Contract at the close of the present Session, any decision has been come to as to the arrangements for the future reporting of 1389 the Proceedings of Parliament; whether he is aware of the opinion held by the reporting profession that the two elements in the contract, i.e. that of reporting and that of printing and publishing, are distinct, and should form the subjects of separate contracts; whether he will appoint a small Departmental Committee to consider the working of the contract now expiring; and whether, before Vote 23 of the Civil Service Estimates, Class II., is taken, he will be prepared to announce the terms of the new contract for which tenders will be invited?
§ SIR H. MAXWELL (for Mr. JACKSON)It was stated in Committee of Supply that notice would be given to terminate the contracts and fresh tenders invited, and this will be done. I have heard of the opinion referred to in the second paragraph of the hon. Member's question, that the reporting and printing and publishing should form subjects of separate contracts, but I entirely disagree with it. As the whole question was considered by a Joint Committee of the two Houses only a few years ago, on whose Report the conditions of the present contract were based, I see no object in appointing a Departmental Committee to consider the subject. The conditions proposed for the new contract are now under consideration.