EARL ST. ALDWYNMy Lords, yesterday, when the House was debating the Cinematograph Films Regulations, my noble friend Lord Dundee undertook to find out what had gone wrong with the distribution from the Printed Paper Office of copies of these Regulations. I have looked into this matter and have found 199 that the noble Lord, Lord Lucas of Chilworth, and other noble Lords were quite right in thinking that the Regulations which they had been given in the Printed Paper Office were not those the approval of which my noble friend was moving. Owing to an oversight, only six copies of the amending Regulations dealing with the collection of the levy were sent from the Stationery Office to the Printed Paper Office when the Regulations were laid and no copies of the amending Regulations dealing with the distribution of levy were sent. The Printed Paper Office, noticing that the prints were not in their possession, telephoned the Stationery Office and drew their attention to this, but unfortunately did not make it clear that they were referring to the June amending Regulations and not to the earlier Regulations made in April. The result was that the Stationery Office sent the earlier Regulations and the correct Regulations were not available in the Printed Paper Office until after the House had begun its Sitting yesterday. I apologise to noble Lords who were inconvenienced, and to the whole House, and I will endeavour to make sure that such a lapse as this does not occur again.
§ LORD LUCAS OF CHILWORTHMy Lords, I am grateful to the noble Earl for his statement, which shows a sympathetic understanding of the very great difficulty the Opposition were placed in, and I derive great comfort from his statement that no such thing can ever happen again.
EARL ST. ALDWYNMy Lords, I did not say that it could not happen again: I said that I would endeavour to ensure that it does not happen again.