HC Deb 27 June 1899 vol 73 c781
MR. DILLON

I beg to ask the First lord of the Treasury whether Sir John Ardagh recently read a paper at the Peace Conference setting forth the reasons why, in the opinion of Her Majesty's Government, the Dum-Dum bullet should not be condemned as an unlawful projectile; whether Sir John Ardagh was authorised to state that as the view still held by the British Government; whether the Dum-Dum bullet was condemned by a full meeting of the first Commission with only two dissentients; and, whether it is the intention of the Government to lay Papers giving a report of the proceedings of the Peace Conference, and to give the House all opportunity of discussing them before the end of this session.

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

As regards the first four paragraphs, I can really add nothing to what I said to the hon. Gentleman in reference to a previous question on the subject of the Peace Conference. Nothing cart be communicated by the Government to the public until that Conference is over. As regards the last paragraph, no doubt Papers will be laid with reference to the Conference, but how soon they will be laid it would be impossible for me to say.

MR. DILLON

Since the right hon. Gentleman told us in answer to a previous question that the proceedings of the Conference were to be absolutely private, the delegates to the Conference have altered the rule, and allowed a considerable résainé to be published in the papers.

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

I was not aware of that fact, if a fact it be.