HC Deb 28 March 1884 vol 286 cc1022-3
MR. STANLEY LEIGHTON

I wish, Sir, to ask for your ruling as to the application to the Rules of Debate of the precedents laid down in 1865 by Mr. Speaker Denison, and in 1883 by Mr. Speaker Brand. I desire to know whether the Vice President of the Council (Mr. Mundella), having cited official documents—namely, certain Reports of Her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools, and having stated the tenour of them, is not bound to lay them on the Table? I also wish to call your attention, Sir, to these facts—first of all, that the Report which I desire to have laid upon the Table was made in consequence of a Parliamentary pledge made to the House of Commons by the right hon. Gentleman last Session, and it would be to the public advantage that the honest opinion of the Inspectors on over-pressure should be known. I wish, also, to point out that it is unreasonable for official documents to be considered confidential after the Minister in charge of them has published their tenour. And, lastly, I wish, Sir, to call your attention to the broad principle laid down in the words of the leading case, from which I will read an extract, that— Such conduct, if permitted, has a direct tendency to injure the public interests, by making the Resolutions of this House proceed on inaccurate statements which it cannot correct by reference to the documents on which those statements are made. In 1865 and 1883 notice of a similar matter was taken two or three days after the occurrence of the irregularity.

MR. SPEAKER

In reply to the hon. Member, I have to state that it is an unquestioned Rule of this House that public despatches, documents, and Papers relating to public affairs should be laid on the Table of the House if quoted by a Minister; but, in this case, the right hon. Gentleman the Vice President of the Council made, I understand, no citations from any document whatever. He merely said that he had consulted the Inspectors. The statement which he made, as to the result of his inquiry as to over-pressure in the elementary schools, was made on his own responsibility, and he is under no obligation to lay any documents or Papers on the Table of the House.

MR. STANLEY LEIGHTON

I beg leave to give Notice that on an early day I will move for the production of these Papers.