§ MR. SWIFT MACNEILL (Donegal, S.)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for War, whether Lord Roberts' Report on the Spion Kop despatches, dated 13th February, was originally meant for immediate publication or was regarded by him as a confidential document; what was the difference, with reference to the responsibility of publication, between Lord Roberts and the War Office, the settlement of which involved delay from the 9th March, the day after receipt by the War Office of the report of Lord Roberts, and the 17th of April, the date of the publication of that report; and whether, having regard to the public interest in this matter, the 415 telegraphic correspondence between Lord Roberts and the Secretary of State and correspondence and communications between Lord Roberts and Sir Redvers Buller with reference to the publication of the Spion Kop reports, will be laid upon the Table of the House before the discussion of the War Office Vote on Friday next.
§ * The UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WAR (Mr. WYNDHAM, Dover)Under the exceptional circumstances of the case I propose to lay upon the Table of the House the telegraphic correspondence between the Secretary of State and Lord Roberts with reference to the publication of the Spion Kop reports. That being so, I must ask the hon. Member to allow me to postpone my replies to his other questions until Friday next.