§ Mr. Robert Cookeasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will introduce legislation to amend the Copyright Acts so as to extend the period of copyright from 50 to 60 years so that the extra 10 years of royalties could be used to provide an income for living writers whose works are borrowed from public libraries.
§ Sir G. HoweTo extend copyright in this way, while making the revenue derived during the period of extension public property, would be a fundamental change in the basis of copyright in this country. It would not be right to make such a change in advance of the report of the Departmental Committee on Copyright which is about to begin its work and which will be open to receive submissions on this matter.