HC Deb 02 July 1935 vol 303 cc1688-91
14. Mr. LEONARD

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware of the unsatisfactory state of the acts and decreets of the court of session and sheriff court records filed in Register House, Edinburgh, and their need of proper indexing and repair; and whether he is prepared to act on the recommendations in the Report of the Sheriff Court Records Committee of 1925?

16 and 17. Mr. N. MACLEAN

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) whether his attention has been drawn to the lack of adequate staff at the Register House, Edinburgh, for the proper cataloguing and indexing of historical documents of great importance; and whether, in particular, he proposes to take steps to ensure that the hundreds of volumes of the Register of Acts and Decreets of the Court of Session from the year 1542 to the year 1800 will be deciphered and published;

(2) whether his attention has been drawn to the report of the Sheriff Court's Records Committee in 1925, which disclosed an unsatisfactory condition of affairs and great masses of public records inaccessible and mouldering away; and, seeing that nothing has been done in many counties to remedy matters, what steps does he propose to take?

The SECRETARY of STATE for SCOTLAND (Sir Godfrey Collins)

The Register of Acts and Decreets of the Court of Session, preserved in the General Register House, Edinburgh, is generally in a good state of repair and is fully indexed from the year 1810 onwards. In 1933 the staff of the Record Office was increased by three whole-time officers, in order to enable arrears of work to be overtaken. Progress is being made in the arrangement and indexing of old records, which can only be undertaken gradually by a trained staff, and the indexing of the Register of Acts and Decreets for years prior to 1810 will be dealt with as soon as circumstances allow. It is not contemplated that the Register should be published, as public requirements should be met if suitable indexes were available for reference in the Record Office. Sheriff Court records are not preserved in the Register House but locally in Sheriff Courts. In some cases they are in an unsatisfactory condition. Legislation would however be necessary to give effect to the recommendations of the Sheriff Court Records Committee, and this will be considered whenever opportunity offers.

Mr. LEONARD

Can the right hon. Gentleman state the amount received From the Treasury for this purpose and whether it is adequate; and, if it is not adequate to bring the records up to date in proper form, will he make observations to the Treasury in order to get an increase?

Sir G. COLLINS

If the work of these three officers is found insufficient for our needs, we shall certainly make representations for an increase.

Mr. MACLEAN

What would be the expense of resuming the publication of the documents?

Sir G. COLLINS

If the hon. Member would refer to the—

Mr. MACLEAN

I am referring to the right hon. Gentleman's own reply.

Sir G. COLLINS

Scottish interests in these matters do not attach as much importance to these old volumes as does the hon. Member. If he would pick up one or two of the old volumes, the hon. Member would realise that they could not possibly justify the spending of a large sum of money in reprinting.

Mr. MACLEAN

Is it not the case that, although some of the documents may not be of much particular interest, others may be of very great importance to the historical record of Scotland, and that it would be worth while spending money upon them?

Sir G. COLLINS

That is a matter of opinion. There may be records which would interest individuals. The expenditure of a large sum of money because of a single document in a voluminous mass of documents would not be justifiable.

Mr. MACLEAN

Have not the records of England been gone over in a very thorough manner and the documents that are important separated from those that are insignificant, and could not that be done for Scotland?

Sir G. COLLINS

I will make inquiries.

18. Mr. MACLEAN

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he is aware that for lack of funds publication of such valuable historical documents as the Exchequer Rolls and the Treasurer's Accounts have had to be discontinued for many years past in Scotland; whether he is aware that the predecessor in 1932 specifically promised a deputation from the convention of burghs that the condition of affairs at the Register House, Edinburgh, would be urgently inquired into; and what steps he now proposes to take in the matter?

Sir G. COLLINS

Twenty-three volumes of the Exchequer Rolls, covering the period 1264–1600, have been published, and 11 volumes of the Accounts of the Lord High Treasurer of Scotland, covering the period 1473–1566. These volumes diminish in interest in later times, and publication of the Exchequer Rolls was discontinued in 1908, and of the Treasurer's Accounts in 1916, because of the greater importance of other work. As regards the second and third parts of the question, my predecessor in 1932 promised that a survey would be made of the unexamined sacks of papers (mostly Customs records) lying in the basement of the Register House, and that a staff reorganisation of the Register House, including the Record Office, would be carried out. Both these undertakings have been fulfilled, three whole-time officers having been added to the Record Office staff, on reorganisation, in 1933.

Mr. MACLEAN

Is the work being brought up to date?

Sir G. COLLINS

Yes, Sir.