§ LORD TEVIOTMy Lords, T beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether or not they are considering the transference of the Department of the Registrar General for Births, Marriages and Deaths together with the public search room, St. Catherine's House, London, to Southport.
§ LORD WELLS-PESTELLMy Lords, the Government have decided that 500 posts of the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys are to be transferred to Southport, where the Department already has a large staff. The Registrar General is at the moment working out which sections of his Office are to be transferred, and it is hoped that the decisions will be announced early in 1975.
§ LORD TEVIOTMy Lords, while thanking the noble Lord for that reply, may I ask him whether the Registrar General could set up a system of committees for consulting the various people who would be affected by this move? Secondly and very important, is the noble Lord aware that it is essential for various reasons to keep the Public Search Room of Births, Marriages and Deaths in London, one such reason being that it attracts many thousands of tourists every year?
§ LORD WELLS-PESTELLMy Lords, in reply to the second part of the noble Lord's question, the Government are well aware of the importance of the Research Room and the useful purpose that it serves in a number of fields. With regard to the first part of his question, the Government are at this moment having discussions with the Genealogical Society and also with the Law Society, and they propose to have discussions with other bodies which are interested. So the first part of the noble Lord's question is already being met.
LORD HAMNETMy Lords, in the light of my noble friend's reply, may I ask him whether Her Majesty's Government have given consideration to the Hardman Report in which it is suggested that the Public Search Room should remain in London while the rest of the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys is taken to Central Lancashire New Town?
§ LORD WELLS-PESTELLMy Lords, this point is being taken into account. As I said in reply to the Question of the noble Lord, Lord Teviot, the Registrar General is considering which departments should be transferred. This is a subject of discussion. It is recognised that there is a very strong case for research taking place in London, and with great respect I suggest that we should be in a better position later on to say what is the outcome of the discussions with other organisations.
§ LORD TEVIOTMy Lords, is the noble Lord aware that on September 13, 1972, I received an assurance that the present St. Catherine's House in Kings-way would be the permanent home of this Department which had been transferred from Somerset House? It has now been there for 11 months. The move took place at great expense to the taxpayer, so does not the noble Lord think it extraordinary that so soon afterwards everything should be moved again 300 miles away?
§ LORD WELLS-PESTELLMy Lords, I am well aware of the reply that the noble Lord, Lord Sandford, gave in this House on September 13, 1972, and I have read it very carefully. But I would point out to the noble Lord that there have been a number of happenings since then, and the question of the dispersal of Government staffs is a very important matter.
§ LORD PLATTMy Lords, can the noble Lord tell us whether, if we accept his advice and wait for the result of these consultations, it will then be too late to influence the Government in any way?
§ LORD WELLS-PESTELLMy Lords, it depends upon how long noble Lords wait before they put down another Question on the matter. It could be too late, but in point of fact, as the noble Lord knows, it is open to any noble Lord to ask the Government at any time what is happening in any particular field.