§ Q3. Mr. William Hamiltonasked the Prime Minister if he will ask the Royal Commission on the Press to examine ways by which the archives of newspapers which cease publication may be preserved.
§ The Prime MinisterNo, Sir. The larger public libraries already have extensive files of newspapers and the libraries of statutory deposit, led by the British Library, will continue to maintain comprehensive collections, including those of newspapers which have ceased publication.
§ Mr. HamiltonCan my right hon. Friend say where the archives of newspapers which have gone into liquidation—[An HON. MEMBER: "Hansard."]—such as the Daily Herald, News Chronicle, Reynolds News and the Glasgow 474 Forward, which are extremely valuable archives, are now and what will be done to preserve future archives if other newspapers go into liquidation?
§ The Prime MinisterMy hon. Friend knows that the British Library receives, under the Copyright Acts as a right, copies of all these papers and it maintains the collection which is available for reference at Colindale. It must be for the British Library Board to consider whether to develop this service. Some newspapers have transferred their archives, for example to universities, without going out of production. However, if my hon. Friend will let me know the particular cases he has in mind, I will try to get the answer. I do not know the answer in relation to the newspapers he has mentioned.
§ Mr. Geoffrey FinsbergWhen the information is made available, will the Prime Minister ensure that the Royal Commission is made aware that the bulk of newspapers which have gone out of business have done so as a result of trade union restrictions and over-manning?
§ The Prime MinisterI do not agree with the hon. Gentleman. There was recently an extremely constructive debate in the House on all the problems of the Press, including the cost of production and manning arrangments, and a much wider series of subjects was discussed, I thought in a fairly united spirit, by the House a few weeks ago.
§ Mr. AshleyDoes my right hon. Friend agree that the gagging writ is a device which can seriously interfere with the freedom of the Press? As the Phillimore Committee is shortly to report on this device, will he ensure that the Royal Commission on the Press is able to take account of the Phillimore Committee's findings?
§ The Prime MinisterMy hon. Friend will recall that this matter and others were covered in the recent debate on the Press and that the whole House was concerned to ascertain whether further measures could be introduced to ensure greater Press freedom of comment while preserving a reasonable degree of privacy for the individual.