HC Deb 27 March 1969 vol 780 cc346-7W
56. Mr. Marquand

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science which organisations were consulted by the subcommittee on the export of manuscripts, documents and archives when preparing its report contained in Command Paper No. 3849.

Miss Jennie Lee

The sub-committee invited written evidence from 36 bodies and individuals both in the United Kingdom and overseas.

Evidence was received from 15 bodies in the United Kingdom and eight overseas. These are as follows:

United Kingdom: *The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association. The Bibliographical Society. *The British Records Association. *Messrs. Christie, Manson and Woods. The Economic History Society. The English Section of the British Academy. *The Historical Manuscripts Commission. The Library Association. *Winifred A. Myers (Autographs) Ltd. *Bernard Quaritch Ltd. The Royal Historical Society. *Mr. T. C. Skeat, Keeper of Manuscripts. British Museum. The Society of Archivists. *Messrs. Sotheby and Co. *The Standing Conference of National and University Libraries.

Overseas: The Association of Research Libraries. Washington, D.C. The Grolier Club, New York. The Houghton Library, Harvard University. The Mitchell Library, Chicago. Pierpont Morgan Library, New York. Princeton University Library. Yale University Library. Newberry Library, Chicago.

No reply was received from the remaining 13. These are as follows:

United Kingdom: The Institute for Contemporary History. The English Association (Literary).

Overseas: Mr. Lew Feldman, House of El Dieff, New York. The Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington. Goodspeeds Book Shop, Boston. Messrs. John Howell, San Francisco. Humanities Research Centre, University of Texas. Mr. Hans P. Kraus, New York. Mr. Wilmarth S. Lewis, Connecticut. Library of Congress, Washington. The Manuscript Society, Illinois. New York Public Library. Mr. Robert H. Taylor, Princeton.

Written evidence from sources in the U.K. was supplemented in nine instances by oral evidence at the invitation of the sub-committee. These are marked with an asterisk in the first list given above.

The Association of Contemporary Historians submitted a memorandum to one of my colleagues in 1968 commenting on the work of the sub-committee. Copies of this memorandum were circulated to the members of the sub-committee.

Mr. Marquand

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) when the intre-departmental working party on the export of manuscripts, documents and archives will complete its work;

(2) whether the report of the interdepartmental working party on the export of manuscripts, documents and archives will be published;

(3) which professional organisations will be consulted by the inter-departmental working party on the export of manuscripts, documents and archives.

Miss Jennie Lee

The first task of the working party will be to attempt to devise a practicable scheme relating to documents less than 100 years old. The working party will carry out its task as quickly as possible, but I cannot yet say when it will complete its work. It would not be appropriate to publish the report of an inter-departmental working party but as I said in reply to my hon. Friend on 13th March, all relevant interests will be consulted at the appropriate stage.—[Vol. 779, c. 322–3.]