§ MR. McKENNA (Monmouthshire, N.)I beg to ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, in view of the large and exceptional import of unstemmed tobacco in the month of March in anticipation of the Budget proposals, he will grant a Select Committee to inquire who were the importers; and whether the import has been induced by information that it was intended to make such proposals.
§ MR. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAINThe Prime Minister proposes to answer this Question. Perhaps the hon. Gentleman will address it to the right hon. Gentleman when he comes into the House.
§ MR. McKENNA, in asking the Prime Minister his Question, said he desired to state that, either by the alteration of the Clerk at the Table or by a printer's error, in the fourth line what stood now as a semi-colon should have been a comma. The original Question which he handed in would make that point perfectly clear.
§ * MR. SPEAKERIt is a printer's error.
§ MR. McKENNAwent on to say that consequently the subject of inquiry would be both "who were the importers, and whether the import had been induced by information," etc.
§ THE PRIME MINISTER AND FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR,) Manchester, E.As far as I am able to judge, the printer's error to which the hon. Gentleman refers, even when supplemented by the comment which he has just given on that error, does not alter the substance of the Question. The Government do not propose to grant the Committee which he asks for. The facts, as I understand them, are these. The hon. Member 546 came down with a prepared attack upon the honour of one of the members of the Government.
§ MR. McKENNAOn the point of order, Mr. Speaker, I desire to ask you whether, if the Prime Minister makes such a statement as that, I shall have any opportunity to reply.
§ * MR. SPEAKERI think it would not be in order or in accordance with the Rules governing Questions to enter into a statement having reference to a previous debate. Any explanation of that kind would have to be given at some other time.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURrose amid cries of "Withdraw."
§ * MR. SPEAKEROrder, order! If there was anything calling for withdrawal I should have said so.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI am not sure, Sir, that I understand the full extent to which you desire your ruling to apply. Would you wish me not to refer to any of the incidents which occurred on Tuesday last?
§ * MR. SPEAKERYes. I think that to refer, in answer to a Question, to what took place on a previous debate would not be in order. The Question has been answered. I am not prepared to state that it is not possible to say anything more; but to refer to a previous debate would be out of order, as it is necessarily a matter that would involve debate.
§ SIR H. CAMPBELL-BANNERMAN (Stirling Burghs)As the right hon. Gentleman has made a distinct accusation against my hon. friend, founded upon: what happened the other day, would it not be desirable that it should be withdrawn as it cannot be further discussed?
§ * MR. SPEAKERThe right hon. Gentleman was putting his construction upon what he understood the hon. Member to J have said. I stopped him at the earliest possible moment. I do not think there is anything to withdraw.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURPerhaps I may say, in order to the relieve the mind of the right hon. Gentleman, that all I said was that the hon. Member came down with a prepared attack upon the honour of a member of the Government—[Cries of "Withdraw" and "You are repeating it."]
§ SIR H. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANI must appeal to you, Sir, whether under your ruling that is in order.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI am not going to add to it.
§ * MR. SPEAKERI understand that the right hon. Gentleman desires to enter into nothing more. I understood that all he was doing was, in answer to the objection raised by the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Stirling, to repeat the words he said under the impression that that would satisfy the right hon. Gentleman.
§ SIR H. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANThe fact of his having repeated the words rather gives greater emphasis to them. The right hon. Gentleman accused my hon. friend of ha vine come down with a prepared attack upon the honour of a member of the Government. As that, according to your ruling, was an irregular statement to make, in answering a Question, I ask, as my hon. friend cannot reply to it and as no one can discuss it, should the right hon. Gentleman not be called upon to withdraw it?
§ * MR. SPEAKERI am quite sure the right hon. Gentleman, if he thought he had made any personal attack, would be the first to withdraw it. What I understood was that he was beginning to state his impression of the effect of the hon. Gentleman's speech, On a proper occasion in debate that would have been a construction which he might without breach of order have put upon what he understood to be the hon. Gentleman's accusation. That would not be an irregular expression on a proper occasion in debating what had been said by the hon. Member for Monmouth. What I stopped 548 the right hon. Gentleman on was not on the nature of the expression used, but because he was entering into a matter which is really one of debate, and which could not properly be raised at Question time. That is the reason why I did not call upon him to withdraw.
§ SIR FORTESCUE FLANNERY (Yorkshire, Shipley)On the point of order arising out of your ruling with regard to the Question of the hon. Member for North Monmouth, I wish to ask whether there is no regulation of this House restraining hon. Members from making, under the guise of Questions, insinuations which they do not support by evidence or even by direct assertion.
§ * MR. SPEAKERI have dealt with the whole matter, and I cannot allow it to be again raised.
§ MR. McKENNArose amid Ministerial cries of "Order."
§ * MR. SPEAKERI would add that, on the face of it, after reading the Question on the Paper, I did not see that it necessarily contained a charge against any particular person.
§ MR. McKENNAMay I say a word——[MINISTERIAL cries of "No."]
§ * MR. SPEAKERIf it is on the point of order I may tell the hon. Member that I have already dealt with it.
§ [The incident then closed.]