§ Lord James Douglas-Hamiltonasked the Minister for the Civil Service why Command Papers are not released in Scotland until about 24 hours after the time they are released in London; and if he will take immediate steps to eliminate this practice.
§ Mr. Charles R. MorrisNormally Command Papers, like other parliamentary papers, are available only in London on the day of publication and do not reach Government bookshops and booksellers outside London until the following day. Such papers are often produced at very short notice and it is physically impossible to distribute them for sale outside London on the same day. Moreover, considerations of parliamentary privilege and the high degree of confidentiality attaching to some papers require special security safeguards.
However arrangements are made, where time and security considerations permit, to publish important parliamentary papers simultaneously throughout the country.