§ MR. ANNAN BRYCEI beg to ask the Prime Minister whether, in view of the inconvenience resulting from the fact that the official record of Answers to oral Questions is not available until after the lapse of eight days, he will consider the question of amending the Standing 383 Orders to the effect that Answers to oral Questions shall appear in the Votes and Proceedings of the ensuing day.
SIR H. CAMPBELL-BANNEEMANI am disposed to think that the grievance in question is not very great. If a Member is absent from the House when Answers are given, he can generally see a report of what has passed in one or other of the papers the following day. My hon. friend will see that the printing of some eighty Questions and Answers would entail some expense; and, to make the Report complete, the Supplementary Questions and Answers would also have to be included. And that is a consideration which raises the larger and more difficult question, which has often been the subject of inquiry by Committees of this House, namely whether there should be an official record of what is said in the House as well as of what is done in it.
MR. ANNAN BEYCEIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that very often it is difficult, owing to the noise in the House, to hear the Answers to Questions which really are important, and that when they are neither heard nor reported, one has to wait eight days before he can ascertain the Answer. Would not time be saved by printing the Answers as suggested?
§ [No Answer was returned.]