§ MR. W. HOLMSasked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether his attention has been called to a Report in the "Times" of 30th June of the following statement said to have been made by M. Tirard with reference to the proposed Commercial Treaty with France:—
As to England, her Government is resisting only for the sake of appearances, and is really resolved on accepting the proposed basis, with concessions on certain points, of which it already knows the extreme limits;and, whether Her Majesty's Government has given the French Government any assurance which could warrant M. Tirard in making such a statement?
§ SIR CHARLES W. DILKESir, it is not the practice of Her Majesty's Government to take notice of statements said to have been made by the Ministers of Foreign Governments, and still less of the unauthorized reports of those made in the secret sittings of a Parliamentary Committee; but as far as regards the statement which is referred to by my hon. Friend, and which I cannot believe to have been made, as to the action taken by Her Majesty's Government in the commercial negotiations with France, I may say that there is no truth whatever in it.