§ 11. Mr. F. Noel-Bakerasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make available a copying machine for the use of hon. Members and their secretaries, in view of the greatly increasing burden of clerical work which their constituency and parliamentary work now demand.
Mr. AmoryI am advised that a copying machine is already available in the Fees Office for use of hon. Members and their secretaries. If hon. Members find existing facilities inadequate, they may care to make representations in the first instance to the House authorities.
§ Mr. Noel-BakerWhile my hon. Friends and I and, I suspect, some hon. Members opposite are glad to have this information, which they did not have previously, may I ask the Chancellor whether he will look at the matter again, because on inquiry I have found that this facility, which is widely available in every kind of office elsewhere in the country, is available to hon. Members only if they pay 6d. per foolscap copy and 4d. per quarto copy? Is not this a rather ridiculous arrangement? Will the right hon. Gentleman look at it again and see whether we cannot have this facility freely available to us?
Mr. AmoryI do not want to deny hon. Members reasonable facilities. I agree with what the hon. Gentleman says about the utility of this type of machine. I do not think that if I had to provide another one it would entirely destroy the basis of my public investment expenditure programme. Therefore, I will pay attention to any representations which the House authorities might care to make to me.