HC Deb 26 February 1957 vol 565 cc1036-7
41. Dr. D. Johnson

asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury why copies of the Criminal Lunatics Act. 1884, are not available at the Stationery Office.

The Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Mr. J. Enoch Powell)

The Criminal Lunatics Act, 1884, is out of print and the demand for copies is too small to justify the expense of reprinting. Occasional requests for a copy are met by the offer to supply a photographic reproduction.

Dr. Johnson

May I, none the less, draw my hon. Friend's attention to the fact that this Act is one that affects the liberty of the individual? Will he not make it more readily available than it is? Is he not aware that I was unable to obtain a copy myself on recent inquiry and received no offer of a photostat copy?

Mr. Powell

I will certainly arrange for my hon. Friend or anyone else applying for a copy to obtain a photographic reproduction upon payment.

Mr. Bevan

On a point of order. Did we understand the hon. Gentleman to say at the end of his reply that he would supply a copy on payment?

Mr. Powell

Of course. Copies of Acts of Parliament are sold by Her Majesty's Stationery Office.

Mr. Bevan

Sir, this matter was raised a little while ago and the hon. Gentleman is obviously unaware of it. Was it not said by you, Sir, or by a Minister, that Acts of Parliament would be made available to hon. Members? We ought not to have to pay in order to carry out our legislative duties in the Chamber.

Mr. Powell

The right hon. Gentleman clearly did not listen to my reply. I said "or to anyone else upon payment".

Mr. Speaker

Order, order. If I understood the exchanges aright, I think that by "anyone else" the Minister meant anyone outside the House. Is that what he meant?

Hon. Members

He did not say that.

Mr. Bevan

This is a difficulty from which the Minister could easily extricate us. Does he mean that any hon. Member of this House can have a photostat copy without payment? If so, why did he not say so?

Mr. Powell

Nothing in my reply affects the rights of hon. Members in this House. I only wanted to make it clear that these copies are on sale to the general public like any other copies of Acts of Parliament.

Mr. Bevan

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. The hon. Member surely is doing the House a disservice. Does he mean that any hon. Member of this House can have a photostat copy of this Act without payment?

Mr. Powell

Nothing which I have said in any way affects or is intended to derogate from the present right of hon. Members to obtain copies of Acts of Parliament.

Mr. Gaitskell rose

—

Mr. Speaker

Order. This is not strictly a matter of order at all. There seems to be some difference on both sides of the House as to what was meant by the previous statement, which I recollect quite well, but that is not a point of order, and I hope that some other opportunity will be taken to clear it up.

Mr. Gaitskell

I was going to ask whether the hon. Gentleman has lost the facility for saying "yes" since he has been at the Treasury.