THE EARL OF GALLOWAYasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether he can explain why the Parliamentary Papers, "Egypt Nos. 12 and 13," which he placed on the Table of the House on the 28th April, extracts from which appeared in The Times and other newspapers on the 2nd of May, were not delivered to Peers until midday on the 3rd of May? He complained that similar delays were not uncommon; and he wished to know how it was that such documents appeared in the newspapers before they were in the hands of noble Lords?
§ EARL GRANVILLEsaid, he was rather alarmed when he saw the Question; but he was somewhat re-assured when the noble Earl asked it; and he felt that he could answer this Question, at any rate, without reticence, and without detriment to the Public Service. The fact was, the Papers were laid on the Table of the House on the 29th, not the 28th of April; and the printer reported that a full supply had been delivered to Messrs. Eyre and Spottiswoode with instructions to strike off a certain number of copies for the use of their Lordships, and some delay, owing to pressure of work, had occurred in doing so.
THE EARL OF GALLOWAYsaid, he thought that it was remarkable that the Papers dated the 1st of May had appeared in the newspapers without having been presented.
§ EARL GRANVILLEsaid, that it was impossible to prevent any member of the Press buying copies of the Papers and publishing them next morning; and he did not understand why this attack had been made upon him.
§ THE EARL OF HARDWICKEsaid, he thought that the answer of the noble Earl was hardly to the point, which was that important telegrams had appeared in the morning papers without having been presented to their Lordships' House.
VISCOUNT ENFIELDcalled attention to the fact that important public documents had appeared in the morning papers of that day which had not been distributed to Members of that House.
§ EARL GRANVILLEsaid, that he could not make himself personally responsible for the delivery of every packet of Papers.
§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURYsaid, that it was constantly the case that Papers were distributed in the House of Commons and published next morning without having been delivered to their Lordships. He had no wish to make an attack on the noble Earl; but they did not know whom else to attack.
THE EARL OF KIMBERLEYreminded their Lordships that the House of Commons sat later, and that it would thus happen that Papers might be delivered there which could not be delivered to their Lordships.
THE EARL OF CAMPERDOWNsaid, that the grievance was a real one, and it had happened over and over again. He thought that the fault must lie with the office connected with the printing of the Papers.
§ House adjourned at half past Six o'clock, to Thursday next, a quarter past Ten o'clock.