HC Deb 10 June 1901 vol 94 cc1537-40

[THIRD READING.]

Order for Third Reading read.

Motion made, and Question proposed, "That the Bill be now read the third time."

MR. DILLON

Before this Bill is read the third time I would state once more the cause and purpose of this Bill. It is introduced for the purpose of relieving Ministers from the unpleasant position in which they find themselves through continuing to sit and vote in this House after having taken an office of profit under the Crown. You might search the whole of the precedents of this House and not find a case of this kind. If it were desirable to make a change in the established practice of the House of Commons requiring Members of the House who accept an office of profit under the Crown to go to their constituents, and take their views upon their conduct, the alteration should be made under such circumstances as would relieve Ministers from all suggestion that it was made in their personal interest. For my part I do not agree with the view that has been expressed

from the Treasury Bench that the old practice had better be swept away altogether, and that Ministers should be allowed to accept an office of profit under the Crown without having to go to their constituencies afterwards. That might be a reasonable view to take for altering the practice of Parliament in the future, but that is quite a different thing to introducing a measure to relieve Ministers from a difficulty. It cannot be denied, to put it at the lowest, that there is a degree of uncertainty as to whether the Ministers could not be proceeded against, and penalties recovered from them, for sitting in this House. The Attorney General admitted that, and stated that one of the objects of this Bill was to remove the risk that existed that a court of law might take a different view to that which he expressed. If that means anything it means that this measure is introduced for the purpose of relieving Ministers from the risk of a decision of a court of law that they were sitting in this House when they had no right to do so. For these reasons I shall divide the House on the Third Reading.

Question put.

The House divided:—Ayes, 199; Noes, 109. (Division List No. 237.)