§ 57. Sir EDWIN STOCKTONasked the Prime Minister whether his attention has been called to the fact that His Majesty's Stationery Office has just been publishing statistics for 1920, and that instances of delay of this nature are frequent; whether he will consider the desirability of an inquiry into the methods of compiling and 1673 publishing these documents, which, when issued, contain no real effective up-to-date information; and whether he will also institute an inquiry into the means of publishing and distributing Official Papers by the Stationery Office generally?
§ Major BOYD-CARPENTERI am unable, without a reference to the particular statistics which the hon. Member has in mind, to say whether the Stationery Office is responsible for a delay in publication, but generally speaking the causes of delay in any such cases would not rest with the Stationery Office. An advisory committee is inquiring into the methods of compiling and publishing official statistics and I will see that instances of late publication receive attention. I see no occasion for setting up machinery, other than that which already exists, for inquiring into the general work of the Stationery Office in the directions indicated.