§ 43. Mr. H. Johnsonasked the Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that the Liverpool Observatory and Tidal Institute, as agents for Her Majesty's Stationery Office, claims the right to charge, and does, in fact, charge the Press and local authorities an annual fee on publication of tidal predictions; and whether, having regard to the recent flood disasters and to the need for a knowledge of the times of high tides for the safety of persons living in coastal areas, he will direct that no such fees shall be charged to the press and local authorities.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterThe fees charged by this body as agents for Her Majesty's Stationery Office are the same as those charged by it for its own predictions. I have no evidence that the imposition of these fees results in any restriction in the dissemination of the information.