HC Deb 31 July 1891 vol 356 cc916-7
MR. COBB (Warwick, S.E., Rugby)

I beg to ask the Vice President of the Committee of Council on Education whether he is aware that Mr. W. C. G. Milman, Inspector of Schools, on July 22nd, at a grand fête of the Kineton and Ettington Habitations of the Primrose League, held in Chordshunt Park, in Mr. Milman's district, at which the Conservative candidate for the Division was present, took a prominent part in a pastoral operetta, and that after the operetta he attended a political meeting held in the grounds; and whether he will call Mr. Milman's attention to the Order of the Lord President of the Council of January, 1880, prohibiting the official staff of the Education Department from taking an active part at political meetings, and request him to refrain in the future from doing so?

THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL (Sir W. HART DYKE, Kent, Dartford)

Even the ingenuity of the hon. Member might be taxed to discover political significance in a pastoral operetta, or whether the fact of Mr. Milman singing in tune or out of tune can in any way affect the balance of Political Parties at the next General Election. The Department cannot prevent an Inspector attending a political meeting so long as he keeps within the terms of the Order to which I referred a day or two ago, and does not take an active part in the proceedings by speaking or otherwise.

MR. COBB

May I ask, for the guidance of people in the future, whether it is to be understood that although these gentlemen may not attend or take an active part in political meetings, they may yet take an active part in the entertainments of the Primrose League?

SIR W. HART DYKE

Of course, there must be limits to the active part taken in political meetings, but in this case I do not think that those limits have been exceeded.

MR. MUNDELLA (Sheffield, Brightside)

I know from my own experience that there have been a good many precedents in this matter. If the right hon. Gentleman will look them up he will find that severe remonstrances have been addressed to Inspectors in times past for taking a more or less prominent part at political functions.

SIR W. HART DYKE

The right hon. Gentleman was not, I think, present when I answered the question the other day—[Mr. MUNDELLA: Oh, yes, I heard it]—when I stated that an Instruction had been issued by the Lord President insisting that Inspectors should not take an active part in political meetings. Of course, there is a distinction between attending and taking an active part, such as speaking from the platform.