§ 52. Sir W. Davisonasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the fact that in the opinion of the Government no useful purpose is served by the publication in the Press of private details of the wills of individuals, he will consider the desirability of prohibiting such publication in the Press, especially as pain and inconvenience are thereby frequently caused to the testators' relatives and a misleading impression is often given to the public?
Mr. ChamberlainAlthough, as my hon. Friend the Attorney-General recently stated, the publication of these details does not serve any purpose from the point of view of legal administration, the information is available to the public and newspapers are therefore free to publish it. The prohibition of such publication would require legislation, and the Government are not aware of sufficient ground to justify such legislation at the present time.