Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Royal Navy. – in the House of Commons at on 5 May 1919.
Sir Auckland Geddes
, Basingstoke
A summary statement of the legislative provisions in force in Canada, the Union of South Africa, the Commonwealth of Australia, and the United States will be issued as a white paper at an early date.
A document issued by the Government laying out its policy, or proposed policy, on a topic of current concern.Although a white paper may occasion consultation as to the details of new legislation, it does signify a clear intention on the part of a government to pass new law. This is a contrast with green papers, which are issued less frequently, are more open-ended and may merely propose a strategy to be implemented in the details of other legislation.
More from wikipedia here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_paper
