§ MR. MONTAGUE GUESTsaid, that as he saw the right hon. Gentleman the First Commissioner of Works was not in his place, he hoped he might be allowed to put to the Home Secretary the Question of which he had given Notice. He was unable to get an answer the other day from the First Commissioner of Works, and as several hon. Gentlemen were anxious on the subject, he begged to ask whether, in the event of married Members being allowed a ticket for the Thanksgiving at St. Paul's for their wives, unmarried Members would also be allowed the privilege of a ticket for their sisters or other lady; or, if not, upon what ground it was denied them?
MR. BRUCEsaid, he was sorry that his right hon. Friend the First Commissioner of Works was not in his place to answer the Question; but though he had had no communication with him on the subject, he thought there would be no difficulty in anticipating the answer his right hon. Friend would give—that this was a matter which rested, not with his right hon. Friend, but with the Lord Chamberlain; that the Lord Chamberlain must have special regard to space; that the extension of this privilege to the wives of Members was itself an advance upon what had been done upon previous occasions; that the extension in the manner proposed by the hon. Member would, of course, involve a large employment of space, to the exclusion of other persons; and that the concession to the House of Commons must, of course, be followed by a similar concession to the House of Lords. He (Mr. Bruce) presumed that, under those circumstances, the Lord Chamberlain would be of opinion that he had advanced as far as he was justified in doing. ["Oh, oh!"] But, possibly, the First Commissioner might be armed with some authority upon the matter.
§ MR. MONTAGUE GUESTbegged to give Notice that he would repeat the Question to-morrow.