§ Lord WILLISMy 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 when they expect to fulfil their long-standing promise to introduce legislation to provide for a public lending right for authors.
§ Lord STRABOLGIMy Lords, as my right honourable friend the Lord President of the Council said in another place on 15th January, the Government hope to publish a Bill very shortly.
§ Lord WILLISMy Lords, I hope that my noble friend will forgive me if I say that those words sound extremely familiar. Is the noble Lord aware that there is growing anxiety among authors, as well as growing distress, because the allocation to libraries has been severely cut down as a result of publishers cutting back on their lists and a great many authors are worried about the fact that this PLR Motion was put into the gracious Speech of 1974 and the gracious Speech of 1975 and we still hear the term "very shortly"? Could the noble Lord give me something more definite than that?
§ Lord STRABOLGIMy Lords, the words I was quoting were those used 1410 by my right honourable friend in the other place. I cannot give my noble friend anything more precise; but as he knows, "very shortly" means as soon as possible.
§ Lord WILLISMy Lords, may I ask, as soon as possible, whether it would be possible for the Bill to be introduced into this House first in order to save time? My noble friend will be aware, I am sure, that there is great pressure on legislation in the other place. Would not it be useful if my noble friend were to approach the Minister to see whether the Bill, which I am assured is already prepared and ready, could be introduced into this House, thus to save time?
§ Lord STRABOLGIMy Lords, yes, this would be perfectly possible, if it is agreed through the usual channels. I will certainly see that what my noble friend has said reaches my noble friend the Chief Whip and my right honourable friend the Lord President of the Council.
Lord PAGET of NORTHAMPTONMy Lords, is my noble friend aware that a Bill such as this may have a very rough passage indeed? It is a Bill to subsidise the rich author at the expense of the part-time author, and the part-time author is the one who ought to have encouragement.
§ Lord STRABOLGIMy Lords, I am aware of my noble friend's feelings from his speech on 4th July. All I can do is to ask him to await the Government's proposals.
§ Lord WILLISMy Lords, is my noble friend aware that what my noble friend Lord Paget of Northampton has just said is absolute nonsense?
§ Lord STRABOLGIMy Lords, in fairness to my colleagues I must say that a great deal of time has been spent on preliminary operational trials and other studies of practicability and that this will be time saved when the Bill becomes an Act.