§ MR. J. CHAMBERLAIN (Birmingham, W.)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury why the important Returns connected with the Government of Ireland Bill are not circulated to Members, but are not delivered to Members unless specially asked for, thus causing delay and trouble; and what is the estimated saving to the Treasury obtained by withholding short Returns of this importance from general circulation?
§ SIR J. T. HIBBERTThe Rules regulating the distribution of Parliamentary Papers are those of 1889 recommended by the Select Committee on the subject. Paragraphs 1 and 6 of those Rules provided that general delivery of all Papers to Members, as a matter of course, was to cease with the exception of Votes and Proceedings, Estimates and Reports of Royal Commissions and Select Committees; but in the case of Papers of special interest, a full delivery was to be made on instructions being given to that effect, if a Command Paper, by a Cabinet Minister or by the Select Committee; if printed by Order of the House of Commons, by the Speaker. I shall be careful to have such Papers as are referred to by the right hon. Gentleman distributed in future.