§ Lord TEVIOTMy Lords, I 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 a decision has been reached as to the future location of the Public Search Room of the Registrar General's Department.
§ Lord WELLS-PESTELLYes, my Lords. The Director of the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys and Registrar General is today announcing which parts of the Office will be dispersed to Southport, and also that the Public Search Room will remain at St. Catherine's House, London.
§ Lord TEVIOTMy Lords, may I thank the noble Lord for the great trouble he has taken and for his personal intervention in this matter? The many people and various bodies affected by this move will also be extremely grateful to him.
§ Lord WELLS-PESTELLMy Lords, I am much obliged to the noble Lord, but your Lordships' House should know that the noble Lord, Lord Teviot, himself deserves a great deal of credit for this situation because of his persistence which we have experienced over nearly the last 12 months. I hope the situation will indicate to him that our minds were not closed on this matter and that we have been much assisted by him and his friends in reaching this decision.
§ Baroness YOUNGMy Lords, may I express on behalf of all of us great appreciation of what the noble Lord, Lord Wells-Pestell, has said and express our thanks to him for keeping to his under-taking given when we debated this matter 168 before Christmas, and for keeping to the guarantee given by the previous Government about the Public Search Room? I am delighted to add my tribute to my noble colleague Lord Teviot for his tenacity.
§ Lord TEVIOTMy Lords, is the noble Lord aware that I am extremely grateful for his kind remarks and those of my noble friend? Can he give any indication of the service we are likely to enjoy when the rest of the Department, possibly, goes to Southport? What kind of delay will there be in the production of certificates? Will a telex system be installed?
§ Lord WELLS-PESTELLNot at this stage, my Lords. If I may presume to give the noble Lord advice, I suggest he be content with the situation as it is. We are in the process of working out the back-up services that can be given.