THE CONGESTED DISTRICTS BOARD OF SCOTLAND. (Hansard, 7 October 1912)

THE EARL OF CAMPERDOWN

My Lords, I desire to ask the noble Lord who represents the Scottish Office a Question of which I have given the Department private notice. I wish to repeat the Question I asked in this House as long ago as May 15 last—namely, when will the Report of the Congested Districts Board of Scotland for the year to March 31, 1912, and the Report of the Crofters Commission be laid on the Table? When I asked this Question on May 15 Lord Willingdon, who then replied for the Scottish Office, told me that the Reports were in a forward state of preparation 814 and would be laid on the Table as soon as practicable. On going to the Scottish Office five months later I discover that these Reports are apparently in the same state as they were then in, whatever that may be. Last year we had a similar complaint to make of the Scottish Office. The more important of these Reports—namely, the Report of the Congested Districts Board—consists of this: the Scottish Secretary as Chairman of the Congested Districts Board reports to the Scottish Secretary as Scottish Secretary. In these circumstances there does not seem any particular reason for delay in the publication of this Report. Last year these Reports were not laid upon your Lordships' Table until the month of August, it having always been the custom up to that time to lay them in the month of June; and this year, although on May 15 they were said to be in a forward state of preparation, they are not laid on the Table even now. I need scarcely point out that the result of the delay is to prevent any examination of these Reports by members of your Lordships' House while there is time to call attention to them. In this matter the Scottish Office has been even more dilatory than it was last year. I therefore venture to ask when we are to receive these Reports.