HC Deb 12 May 1930 vol 238 cc1438-40
31. Captain EDEN

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will obtain for the use of Members copies of the Report of the committee presided over by M. Scialoja for the amendment of the Covenant of the League of Nations?

Mr. DALTON

Copies of the report of the League of Nations "Committee for the Amendment of the Covenant in order to bring it into harmony with the Pact of Paris" were placed in the Library of the House on the 19th of March last, in accordance with the promise given by my right hon. Friend to the right hon. Gentleman the Member for West Birmingham (Sir A. Chamberlain) on the 10th of March.

Captain EDEN

That was not my question. I knew that copies had been made available for individual Members in the Library.

Mr. DALTON

I should have judged that the purpose of putting documents in the Library was to make them available for such hon. Members as wished to read them.

Commander Sir BOLTON EYRES MONSELL

Can we have a civil answer from that bench?

Mr. G. LOCKER-LAMPSON

Is the hon. Gentleman not aware that there are only two copies of the document in the Library, and that they are not printed, but merely typed, whereas printed copies have been made at Geneva, and is it not generally the rule that printed copies of documents made by the League of Nations are sent to the Library of this House?

Mr. DALTON

If there is a desire for additional copies to be made available, I will represent such desire to my right hon. Friend.

Mr. G. LOCKER-LAMPSON

Has the hon. Member not missed my point? Is it not desirable that when the League of Nations publish printed documents on important subjects, copies of those printed documents should be in the Library of this House?

Mr. DALTON

That is a far more general question than the one on the Paper, and perhaps the right hon. Gentleman will put it down.

Captain EDEN

Will the hon. Gentleman consider having the document printed and circulated, and will he say if there is any parallel for documents of this importance not being made generally available to all Members?

Sir HERBERT SAMUEL

In view of the importance of this document, will the hon. Gentleman consider again whether it would not be possible to make it more easily available?

Sir K. WOOD

Now you have got your orders!

Mr. DALTON

I have already said, in answer to the right hon. Member for Wood Green (Mr. G. Locker-Lampson), that I will represent to my right hon. Friend, on his return from Geneva, the widespread desire in certain quarters of the House that the number of copies available to Members should be increased.

Sir LAMING WORTHINGTON-EVANS

The hon. Gentleman was not asked to have more copies available in the Library, but to make them available to Members generally. He can do that by printing them as a White Paper and sending them round to Members.

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