§ MR. SEXTON (Kerry, N.)I wish, Sir, to draw your attention to the fact that The Times newspaper of to-day under the heading "Political Notes'" contains a series of paragraphs purporting to give detailed particulars of the deliberations of the Select Committee on the Working of the Irish Land Acts yesterday, the Committee being now engaged in the consideration of their Report. The same newspaper on a previous day contained what purported to be the particulars of the proposals contained in the Draft Report of the Chairman of the Committee which was confidentially circulated among the Members of the Committee. I am informed also that one of the News Agencies has circulated a paragraph containing similar information. I wish to know, Sir, whether communications such as must have been made to the Press in this case are permissible?
§ * MR. SPEAKERIt is often very difficult in cases of the kind to prevent transactions in Committee from being made public. I should say that it was for the Chairman of a Committee to consult with his colleagues as to the best means of preventing any part of their Report from being made public before it is officially presented to the House. Perhaps something might lie done in that way to prevent those occurrences.
MR. J. MORLEYThis question was raised at a meeting of the Committee to-day, and, I think, very properly. Having regard to the nature of the proceedings of the Select Committee, and to the details of their elaborate Report, I am surprised that any Member of that Committee should have felt himself at liberty to communicate to the Press any account of what has occurred. The feeling expressed this morning in the Committee was very strong and decisive that whoever had made this communication to the Press had been guilty of an impropriety, and to some extent of an act 1258 of disloyalty to his colleagues in the Committee.
MR. T. M. HEALYI wish to ask, Sir, whether it is not possible to withhold from newspapers that disregard the ordinary practices of this House the privileges which they enjoy of admission to the House and to the Lobby.
§ * MR. SPEAKERWe should consider rather the source from which the communication originally came. The newspaper may not be as guilty as the person who communicates the news.