§ MR. MAGNIACasked Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Whether the statement is correct that Sir Charles Hartley, K.C.M.G. was appointed upon the International Consulting Committee of the Suez Canal by the Treasury; and, whether the Government will clear up the doubt which exists upon the subject by stating whether they consider themselves in any way responsible for the acts or recommendations of the English members of the said Committee?
§ MR. COURTNEYMy right hon. Friend,' being unavoidably absent, has asked me to answer this Question. All the English Members of the Technical Committee were appointed by the Board of the Suez Canal Company, having been selected by them in communication 26 with Her Majesty's Government. Sir Charles Hartley was selected by my right hon. Friend after reference to the Foreign Office. Her Majesty's Government are in no way responsible for the individual opinions of the gentlemen in whose selection they concurred. The Committee will report their views to the Company, as I am given to understand, late in the year; and the deliberations of the Board upon them will be known to Her Majesty's Government through our official Directors.
§ MR. MAGNIACasked whether the Government was to be understood to draw any distinction between the individual and the collective opinions of Members of the Committee?
§ MR. COURTNEYsaid, if the Government were not responsible for the individual opinions, they could not be responsible for collective opinions.