§ MR. W. REDMOND (for Mr. MAGUIRE)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that a Loudon evening paper has published the full text of the Bill for the Better Government of Ireland, and sold some 50,000 copies thereof at the price of Id., and made large profits; and whether there is any copyright for the publications of the Queen's printers; and, if not, whether some provisions could not be introduced for the protection of the interests of the British taxpayer?
§ MR. PARKER SMITH (Lanark, Partick)Before the right hon. Gentleman answers, I should like to ask whether the price of the authorised version of the Bill is 3½d., what number of copies have been sold, and whether he sees his way to imitating this enterprising newspaper in the circulation of State Papers of great importance throughout the country?
§ SIR J.T. HIBBERTI think the last question should be put on the Paper. It is manifestly impossible for me to answer it on such short notice. The question of copyright in Government publications is dealt with in the Treasury Minute of August 31, 1887 (Parliamentary Paper No. 335 of 1887). It appears to the Treasury that the reasons against restricting publication are no less strong in the case of Bills than in the case of Acts of Parliament, subject, of course, to the same condition as is insisted on in the latter case—namely, that except when published under the authority of the Government, they should not purport, on the face of them, to be published by authority. For this reason, without entering into the question whether there is or is not copyright in Bills or other public documents prepared for the Government, the Treasury do not 1613 consider it necessary to move in the present case. I will go further, and say that I think we ought to be indebted to any newspaper which will publish the Bills either of the Government or of private Members.