asked the Attorney-General, in view of the fact that the final draft of the surrender of the German armed forces in 1945 is to be auctioned on 12th December, whether he will take action to ensure that all such papers and documents which are, or may become valuable, either at the time or subsequent upon a person obtaining them through Government service, shall be remitted to Her Majesty's Treasury or some other designated Department.
My noble Friend is not persuaded that the action suggested by my hon. Friend, even if it were practicable, would be justified. Under the Public Records Act 1958 public records worthy of permanent preservation are placed in the Public Record Office or an authorised depository. The actual instrument of surrender in question was presented to the Imperial War Museum by the late Lord Montgomery and is on public display there.