Mr. Johnstonasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that particulars of changes in the unemployment figures for the month of April were announced in the Press on the morning of 9th May, but by the evening of 10th May the Ministry of Labour Gazette for the month of April was not available in the Library of this House; and whether he will give instructions that Government publications shall be made available to Members prior to, or simultaneously with, an issue of a précis of their contents to the Press?
§ Captain CrookshankI assume that in referring to the Ministry of Labour Gazette for the month of April the right hon. Member has in mind the issue for May, which will include statistics of employment and unemployment for a date in April. That issue will be published on 18th May, and I regret that it is not practicable to advance the date of publication so as to coincide with the issue to the Press of the monthly summary statement on employment and unemployment. There is at present an interval of three weeks between the date of the count of the unemployed and the issue of the figures to the Press, and it is considered undesirable to lengthen this interval by holding back the summary Press communiqué until the Gazette, which contains a considerably more detailed analysis, is issued. As regards the second part of the question, it will be appreciated that the Ministry of Labour Gazette, though published by the Stationery Office, is not a Parliamentary Paper.