Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Germany – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 17 December 1947.
Mr Ernest Bevin
, Wandsworth Central
12:00,
17 December 1947
Yes, Sir. I am pleased to be able to state that agreement has now been reached and that the Agreement will be signed in Washington later this afternoon. The text is being prepared as a white paper. I am arranging for advance copies to be placed in the library of the House at 5 p.m. tomorrow.
This phrase is often used in written answers to indicate that a minister has deposited some relevant information in the House of Commons Library. Typical content includes research reports, letters, and tables of data not published elsewhere.
A list of such depositions can be found at http://deposits.parliament.uk/ along with some of the documents. The Library is not open to the public, but copies of documents can be requested if they are not on that website. For more information, see the House of Commons factsheet: http://www.parliament.uk/documents/upload/P15.pdf
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
