HC Deb 11 February 1897 vol 46 c166
MR. FLYNN

On behalf of my hon. Friend the Member for Leitrim, N. (Mr. PATRICK M'HUGH), I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether he will consider the advisability of reducing the price of the daily issues of the Parliamentary Debates, or of furnishing same gratis to Members applying for them?

MR. HANBURY

The contract binds the contractor not to charge more than a shilling for each daily part, but it, does not give the Government any power to interfere with the prices charged for the separate parts within that limit. As regards the proposal to supply the parts gratis to Members, I can only repeat what I said last August, when the same question was raised in Supply. There have already been several Debates as to the heavy expenditure incurred for printing, and, in view of the two Committees of 1888 and 1893, I do not think that the Government would be justified in making any further outlay in that direction.