Lieut.-Colonel Guestasked the First Lord of the Admiralty the reasons why information with regard to the mishap whereby the Trinity House lighthouse tender "Vestal" recently lost seven lives while effecting relief at the Eddystone lighthouse was not released for publication in the West Country papers on the evening in question or on the following morning when the news was broadcast in a British Broadcasting Corporation news bulletin on the same evening, especially in view of the fact that two of the lives lost were residents of Newlyn and Penzance?
§ Mr. ShakespeareThe Admiralty representative at the Press and Censorship Bureau immediately concurred in the publication of this information as soon as it was referred to him, and no delay arose on this account. I understand from the Press and Censorship Bureau that the story was dealt with immediately and released to the West of England Press, with certain deletions made on the advice of Trinity House, in less than an hour from its submission. The full story without the deletions was released two hours later simultaneously to the Press, the news agencies and the B.B.C.