§ 5.12 p.m.
§ LORD REA had given Notice that he would ask His Majesty's Government whether the announcement that members of the House of Commons are entitled to send post free letters on official matters to a Government Department, marked "O.H.M.S.," applies also to members of this House.
§ The noble Lord said: My Lords, I beg to ask the question standing in my name on the Paper.
§ VISCOUNT ADDISONMy Lords, His Majesty's Government have considered very carefully whether they could extend to members of this House the concession whereby members of another place are allowed to send post-free letters to Government Departments provided such letters are on official matters. The noble Lord will appreciate that almost all letters addressed to Government Departments by members of another place arise directly from matters concerning or affecting their constituencies or constituents. The position is, of course, quite different with the members of this House, who have no constituents, and for this reason we regret we do not feel justified in extending this post-free concession to your Lordships.
§ > THE EARL OF ROSEBERYMy Lords, may I say a word on this subject? It seems to me rather an extraordinary decision. A large number of members of this House have great public duties to perform, and they do them without remuneration of any kind, let alone expenses of travel from the places where they live. Noble Lords—Lord Lieutenants, and so forth—come down here to do this duty, and have to write to the War Office on various matters. It is not only the local Members of Parliament who help the people in their areas; there are other people as well, and many of them are members of this House. I do not suppose there is anybody in this House at 925 the present moment who has not had to write to Government Departments on matters of business. It seems to me very finicky on the part of the Government that they will not let this very paltry concession come to us, so that we may have the same courtesy extended to us as is extended to those in another place.
§ VISCOUNT ADDISONI may say the other matters affecting your Lordships' House in this respect are being considered.
§ THE EARL OF ROSEBERYI am glad to hear it, and I hope they will be more favourably considered than they were on the last occasion.