§ Sir L. Lyleasked the Minister of Information whether arrangements can now be made to allow complete freedom of publication for all statistics relating to agriculture, health, labour, transport, fuel and power, Colonies, finance, exports, imports and production, except in so far as information of operational value to the enemy is still involved; and whether he can give any indication as to how British practice in this respect compares with American.
§ Mr. BrackenI would refer my hon. Friend to the reply given yesterday by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the right hon. and gallant Member for Kelvingrove (Lieut.-Colonel Elliot). We cannot make any useful comparisons with American practice, since the U.S.A. has never been an operational zone subject to bombing, and they accordingly published statistics of this nature freely.