§ MR. HOZIER (Lanarkshire, S.)I beg to ask the Secretary for Scotland whether, in view of the fact that the Regulations varying the basis of distribution under Section 17 of "The Police (Scotland) Act, 1890," of the Exchequer Contribution in Aid of Police Superannuation, although ordered to be printed on 28th June, were not distributed to Members until 13th July, he will extend the period of one mouth for which the said Regulations have to be upon the Table of the House; and whether he would consider the desirability of providing that Regulations of this character should, before being laid before Parliament, be submitted to Local Authorities, who at present have until the last moment no information regarding proposed quasi-legislative changes?
§ SIR G. TREVELYANWith reference to the first portion of the hon. Member's question, I am not responsible for the distribution of Parliamentary Papers; but I may point out that under Section 17, Sub-section (6), of the Police Act, 1890, the Regulations in question do not come into operation until they have lain on the Table of each House for not less than 30 days on which the House has sat. These have accordingly three and a half weeks to run of the time in which the Regulations are before the House. The Regulations have been prepared according to the Act of Parliament, and in consequence of representations made to me from various parts of Scotland against the inequitable mode of distribution, in which I fully concurred. I do not think there is any convenient means of bringing the Regulations to the notice of all Local Authorities beyond those provided by the Act.