HC Deb 03 June 1867 vol 187 cc1498-9
MR. VANCE

said, he would beg to ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, inasmuch as it is well known that the Government and the hon. Member for Meath (Mr. MacEvoy) have concurred with regard to the appointment of the Committee on this Act, inasmuch as it is known that the composition of the Committee is unsatisfactory, and as it is invidious to object to anybody—["Order"]—whether Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer will have any objection to allow a Minister of the Crown to confer with the hon. Member for Meath with a view to the alteration of the constitution of the Committee so as to make it satisfactory to the House?

THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER

I trust, Sir, that the hon. Member for Meath and my hon. Friend the Member for Armagh are too much men of the world to wish to have an unnecessary wrangle, and that they will therefore, as men of the world, take every possible means of preventing any consequence of that kind. Very few Committees are appointed without a conference between the principal promoters of them and the Government. It is our duty to take such steps as will lead to the appointment of a Committee which will give general satisfaction. In like manner, if the hon. Member for Meath and my hon. Friend will meet together I have no doubt that they will in friendly conversation—which I know is more friendly in the lobbies than it is in the House—come to some amicable arrangement. If they cannot do so, or if their mutual representatives cannot, of course the House must decide in an impartial manner who are the proper persons to serve on the Committee. But I recommend mutual concession and conciliation as the best means of arriving at a complete understanding upon this subject, and I still express a hope that in the manner usually adopted by Members of this House who are men of the world, we may have such a selection of names as may make it unnecessary to submit to the House the name of every Member of the Committee.

MR. MACEVOY

begged to say that he should be only too happy to accede to any reasonable proposition which the hon. Member for Armagh (Mr. Vance) might Make; but as yet the hon. Member had made no suggestion, and he was therefore quite unable to say whether he could meet the views of the hon. Member.

COLONEL STUART KNOX

Will you put off the Committee from to-night?

MR. MACEVOY

said, he must decline to do so. He had followed the usual course in placing on the Notice Paper the names of Members to serve on the Committee; but he was still quite willing to consider any proposition which might be made on the subject.