§ 28. Captain Pilkingtonasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much sterling is paid to the United States of America in royalties for the copyright of parlour games on radio and television.
§ Mr. BirchI regret that separate figures of dollar expenditure on transactions of this kind are not available.
§ Captain PilkingtonCan my right hon. Friend say whether the game "Twenty Questions" is included? If so, is he aware that it is on record that Hannah Moore and Mrs. Fielding taught this game to Lord Palmerston in 1786—so should copyright be paid for?
§ Mr. BirchThe answer to the first part of my hon. and gallant Friend's supplementary is that I do not know; the answer to the second part is that I am always grateful to receive information.
Mr. H. WilsonIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that Lord Palmerston was only two years old at that time, though he was always a little precocious? Apart from that, is he aware that many of us share the concern of the hon. and gallant Member for Poole (Captain Pilkington)on this point, in that most of these things are games which have been played for, perhaps, hundreds of years in this country, and it is quite fantastic that anybody should copyright them, but that, to my knowledge, when 580 questions have been put to B.B.C. sources about it, we have been told that we do not have to pay royalties for games of this kind, and if we had to, the names could always be changed and the games be kept?
§ Viscount HinchingbrookeIs my right hon. Friend aware that Lord Palmerston at that time, like the right hon. Member for Huyton (Mr. H. Wilson), walked about without any shoes?
§ Captain PilkingtonDoes my right hon. Friend appreciate that, apparently, the right hon. Member for Huyton is not aware that there was more than one Lord Palmerston?