§ MR. CALLANI beg to ask the Chairman of Committees two Questions, of which I have given him private Notice. The first is, Whether the private and confidential note which he addressed to the London correspondent of The Scotsman newspaper in the Gallery did not in itself unmistakably convey that 1963 the object of the letter was to obtain publicity, inasmuch as the note substantially desired that he should communicate its contents to the Press? My next Question is, Whether on Saturday morning, immediately after the suspension of the 16 Members, he addressed another communication to a member of the Press, not connected with a Scotch paper; and, if so, what was the purport of that communication, and what were the reasons which induced him to make it?
§ MR. LYON PLAYFAIRI can readily answer the Question of the hon. Member. The letter to which on a former occasion he drew my attention as having been shown to several gentlemen of the Press without my knowledge was simply written by me to draw attention to what had been stated by me from the Chair in Committee—that I had Named the Members for continued Obstruction during the whole time the Bill had been in Committee. As the communication was marked "private and confidential," the hon. Member will feel with me, that a private letter shown without the knowledge of the writer is not public property, so that I shall decline to make any explanation with regard to it.
§ MR. CALLANThe right hon. Gentleman has not answered my second Question—Whether he addressed on Saturday morning another communication on the same subject to any member of the Press not marked "private and confidential"?
§ MR. LYON PLAYFAIRI have no other answer to give him, Sir.