§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many papers his Department has currently withdrawn from the Public Record Office; if he will list their titles; and when he estimates that they will be returned.
Mr. John M. TaylorGovernment Departments have a statutory right to retrieve records temporarily from the Public Record Office for their own administrative use. The Lord Chancellor's Department currently has 45 records out on loan. They will be returned when the current administrative need to keep them is over. I will write to the hon. Gentleman with details of their titles.