65. Mr. MacCALLUM SCOTTasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether his attention has been called to the decision of the Berwickshire Insurance Committee to exclude the Press from its meetings; whether the Insurance Commissioners have considered the fact that the insurance committees consist of persons elected to represent various interests, and that if the Press is excluded from the meetings it will be impossible for the insured persons who elected the members of the committees to know whether their representatives are acting in accordance with their wishes or not; and whether, in view of the importance of publicity in this matter, the Commissioners will make regulations which will secure the admission of the Press to meetings of the committees?
§ Mr. MASTERMANI have seen a newspaper report of the decision to which my hon. Friend refers. I am informed that the committee have made arrangements to supply an official report of their proceedings to the Press. The Scottish Commissioners have not issued any regulations 581 on this subject. I may say, however, that the English Commissioners, in reply to questions on this subject, have suggested that the provisions of the Local Authorities (Admission of the Press to Meetings) Act, 1908, should be treated as applicable to meetings of insurance committees.