§ BARON HENRY DE WORMSasked the First Lord of the Treasury, Whether it is to be understood that the evidence taken by the Departmental Committee, promised to the House by the Secretary of State for War, is not to be presented to the House; whether the new Committee now proposed is to sit with closed doors like the previous one; and, whether the Houses of Parliament will be excluded from making an open inquiry in the usual manner into the whole subject?
MR. GLADSTONEThe answer is a very clear one. The Report of, and the Papers connected with, the inquiry of the Departmental Committee will, of course, be presented to Parliament. They will 1371 be collected for the use of Parliament not less than for the use of Government, but subject necessarily to the usual reserve respecting points of a scientific or military character which it may not be desirable to bring into public view. As to the second Question, it is the uniform practice of Parliament in inquiries of this kind to proceed with closed doors; and I have no doubt that practice will be conformed to. In regard to the third part of the Question, unquestionably there would be no limitation whatever to the duty of Parliament to make inquiry in either House; and, moreover, the Government reserve to themselves to consider what course they shall recommend Parliament to pursue, and they would, if they saw fit, be quite free to recommend a Parliamentary inquiry. They are in no way precluded from doing so by the purely scientific inquiry now going to be made. There is a fourth portion of the Question which has been curtailed, but which, being once printed, I shall read—Whether the noble Lord the Member for Flintshire (Lord Richard Grosvenor) is to continue his present double position of Member of the Government and Chairman of one of the Channel Companies, pending the proposed inquiry. The proposed inquiry, which has reference to the national safety and defence, has no relation whatever with the Office of my noble Friend. With regard to that Office, it is right I should say that he assumed his position in the Government less than two years ago, and that he has been Chairman of one of the Tunnel Companies for no less than 14 years. Should a case in which the duties of these two positions will be incompatible arise, I have no doubt that he will be the first to observe it; but I should be very sorry if such a case should arise; and in that regret I have no doubt the House will agree with me.