KITCHEN AND REFRESHMENT ROOMS (HOUSE OF COMMONS) COMMITTEE. (Hansard, 29 January 1897)

§ SIR WILLIAM WALROND (Devon, Tiverton)
moved:— That a Select Committee be appointed to control the arrangements for the Kitchen and Refreshment Rooms, in the Department of the Serjeant-at-Arms attending this House; that the Committee do consist of 17 Members; that Mr. James Bailey, Mr. Broadhurst, Mr. Richard Cavendish, Mr. Cochrane, Mr. Thomas Curran, Mr. Horatio Davies, General Goldsworthy, Mr. Jacoby, Mr. Kearley, Mr. Lafone, Mr. Llewellyn, Colonel Lockwood, Mr. Macdona, Mr. Lloyd Morgan, Mr. P. J. Power, Mr. William Redmond, and Lord Stanley, be Members of the Committee.

§ SIR WILFRID LAWSON (Cumberland, Cockermouth)
said that he wished to put a question to the hon. and learned Gentleman the Attorney General with regard to what the hon. and learned Gentleman himself had declared to be the illegal practice of selling intoxicating liquors at the liars in that building. He wanted to know what had been done with regard to the matter since the hon. and learned Gentleman had made his statement on the subject, when he informed the House that he had looked into the law relating to it, and had found that the sale of drink at the bars was thoroughly illegal. That was a week ago, and yet he had not heard of anybody having been arrested and taken before the Court. Neither had he heard that the Inland Revenue had taken any proceedings in the matter. It was not right for this sort of thing to be allowed to go on without there being any legal right to sell drink in the building. He wished to know what was going to be done in the matter.

§ THE ATTORNEY GENERAL (Sir RICHARD WEBSTER,) Isle of Wight
said that the statement of the hon. Baronet was quite correct, and he could only 883 repeat what he had already said—namely, that as the sale of liquor in the House was now carried on it was not according to law, but he said it was obvious that no action could be taken in the matter until the Kitchen Committee was appointed. Several courses would be open to them. They might say it was desirable to confine the sale of liquor in the House solely to Members of the House, in which case a very large question would arise in point of law. They might, however, think it convenient that liquor should be sold to witnesses and others attending the House, and come to the conclusion that the existing practice, which had been working for upwards of 60 years, should be legalised. And again, they might decide to make a change with regard to the way in which the sale was carried on. The matter had not been overlooked, and he was in communication with the Home Secretary, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and some of the proposed members of the Committee with regard to it.