CONFIDENTIAL
39. When they are aware of the prospective publication of a Select
Committee Report with which they are concerned, the Department should
consider what, if any, form of Press briefing is desirable, eg whether
to issue an immediate Press Notice at the same time as the publication
of the Report or simply to provide material to the Departmental Press
Office against the possibility of Press enquiries. It should be borne
in mind that the Press are entitled to get advance copies at the same
time as the Department (cf. para 37 above), so that questions may arise
almost as soon as the copies are available.
40. It is a point of overriding importance that the Government's
final and considered reply to the specific recommendations of a Select
Committee should be delivered first to Parliament. This means that
nothing in the comments given to the Press (immediately on publication
of the Report or in the intervening period up to the delivery of the
Government's reply) should seem to anticipate that reply. On the
other hand, there is no objection to the provision of relevant back-
ground information or to the correction of mis-statements of fact:
and, if desired, it may be possible to answer specific criticisms or
comments by reference to other paragraphs in the Report or to evidence
given to the Committee and published with the Report. (It is nowadays
the regular practice of Select Committees to publish the evidence with
their Reports, so that any quotation of the evidence in immediate
comment is not a breach of privilege).
questions from the Press about
Committee's recommendations should be answered by saying that they
will be fully considered and answered as soon as possible by an
official reply.
41. Where a Select Committee Report concerns more than one Department,
19
CONFIDENTIAL