§ 106. Sir H. Williamsasked the Under-Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations why the accounts of the British Phosphate Commission for the year ending 30th June, 1950, were not presented to Parliament until June, 1951, and were not available in the Vote Office until the 154W week beginning 24th March, 1952; and if he will state the reason for the apparent worsened financial results for the year ended 30th June, 1950, as compared with the previous year.
§ Mr. J. FosterThe hon. Member's attention is invited to the reply given on 20th February, 1951, to the hon. Member for Orpington (Sir W. Smithers) explaining the reasons for the change in procedure in accordance with which the accounts of the British Phosphate Commission, commencing with those for the year ended 30th June, 1950, were to be published as a Command Paper. These accounts were not received from Australia until late in December, 1950, and, in view of the change in procedure, it was not possible to arrange presentation until June, 1951.
I am informed that copies of the Command Paper were in fact available to hon. Members at the Vote Office as from 3 p.m., 26th June, 1951.
The results of the Commissioners' management of the Nauru and Ocean Island phosphate rights during the year ended 30th June, 1950, which was a year of record output, are regarded as satisfactory and compare favourably with those for the previous year.