§ MR. A. LAFONE (Southwark, Bermondsey)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Homo Department if he will take steps to provide seats for the acting magistrates of the County of Middlesex to view the Queen's Jubilee Procession?
§ SIR MATTHEW WHITE RIDLEYI am afraid that I cannot comply with the hon. Member's request. It is not a matter in which I have any power or authority.
§ MR. G. C. T. BARTLEY (Islington, N.)I beg to ask the First Commissioner of Works whether the same privilege can be given to Members of this House to purchase five tickets for seats to view the Procession which has been granted to members of the Civil Service?
§ THE FIRST COMMISSIONER OF WORKS (Mr. A. AKERS-DOUGLAS, Kent, St. Augustine's)Every available space will be brought into requisition, and I fear it is impossible, to comply with the request of my hon. Friend unless the extra space be obtained at the expense of the officials of this House or of the members of the Press attached to the House, an expedient which I feel certain he would not desire. I have no knowledge of the fact mentioned by my hon. Friend. Stands are being erected by the Office of Works for various departments of the Civil Service; but I must disclaim all responsibility for the distribution of tickets, which has been left in every case to the discretion of the head of the Department concerned. If the facts are as described by my hon. Friend, either the head of the Department in question has not complied with my request to limit his demand for seats to moderate limits, or an unequal distribution of 1595 tickets must have been made in favour of one and at the expense of another class of officials in the Department.