§ MR. DILLONI beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether, seeing that religious beliefs, passionately held by millions of His Majesty's subjects, are denounced in the declaration required of His Majesty on his accession to the throne by the Bill of Rights, the Government propose to take any steps towards the modification of the declaration before the Coronation; and, if not, why not?
§ THE FIRST LORD or THE TREASURY (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR, Manchester, E.)The hon. Gentleman probably remembers that there was a Bill brought into the House for the purpose of modifying the declaration to which he objects, and that that Bill met with disfavour even at the hands of the hon. Gentleman and his friends.
§ MR. DILLONThe right hon. gentleman has not answered my Question at all. I did not ask whether a Bill was brought in last session. What I asked was whether the Government intended to take any steps before the Coronation of His Majesty to remove a declaration which is objectionable to many of his subjects.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURYes, Sir, I replied to that Question, and I am sorry that my answer was not satisfactory to the hon. Gentleman. I reminded the hon. Gentleman that we had already made proposals for modifying the declaration, and that those proposals had not hen received with favour, even by the hon. Gentleman and his friends.
§ MR. DILLONThe right hon. Gentleman has not answered my Question at all. I asked him what are the intentions of the Government in this matter.
§ MR. J. BALFOURI am sorry I omitted the corollary which I thought the hon. Gentleman would draw from my answer. It was, that we are not likely to renew the attempt.
§ MR. DILLONAre we to understand that it is the intention of the Government not to make any further attempt to modify the declaration?
§ MR. A. J BALFOURWe certainly have no intention of introducing a Bill on the subject before the Coronation.