Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Colonial Empire – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 14 December 1949.
Mr. Creech Jones:
I have promised a full statement to be published in the form of a white paper. On every occasion when a vote of this kind is taken the position of His Majesty's Government is stated and it was so on this occasion.
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
