§ 32. Mr. GILBERTasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Food the number of copies sent out of the special educational paper by the instructions of his Department; if they were paid for, the cost of the same and also of the postage to each school in the country; can he state what quantity of paper was released in order to enable this paper to be issued; whether it was paid for by his Department; whether the special feature of the paper to which his Department attached so much importance was not in the original number submitted, but was supplied by his office to this paper; if he can state if any of the staff of his Department are or have been members of the staff of this journal; and if he will give an undertaking that this special favouring of one competitive professional paper shall not occur again?
§ Mr. CLYNESThe cost of printing the 28,043 copies sent out to schools was borne by the educational paper. These copies were sent post free, and the only direct cost to the Government was for the paper, the exact amount of which cannot at present be separated from other returns. I am not clear what was the special feature of the paper to which the hon. Member refers in the fifth part of his question; the answer to the sixth part is in the negative. Any similar application on behalf of any other educational journal will be dealt with on its merits in a similar fashion.