Mr. PEELI desire to ask the President of the Board of Education a question of which I have given him private notice, namely, whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that what purported to be a summary of the Annual Report of the Board, laid before this House on 4th April by command, appeared in several newspapers on the 12th instant, although such Report has not yet been circulated to hon. Members; whether he is aware that some newspapers to which copies of this summary were sent declined to publish it, apparently believing that it had been improperly obtained; and whether any steps can be taken to prevent such Reports being published in the Press before they are available to Members of this House?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANThe Report of the Board of Education was laid in dummy on 4th April. I have not had time to refresh my memory since receiving the hon. Member's notice a few minutes ago, but I think on 11th April representations were made to me that it would be a convenience 623 to Members of the House if I laid an advance proof in the Library. On 11th April an advance proof was laid there—I believe the copy is still to be seen—and on the 12th a summary of the Board's Report appeared in the newspapers. Whether there is any connection between the laying of the Report in the Library and the summary appearing in the newspapers, of course I cannot say. The full circulation of the Report, I am told by the Stationery Office, will take place to-day.