§ MR. SCHWANN (Manchester, N.)To I ask the Secretary of State for India whether a full statement can be made to Parliament showing how far, and in what manner, following the rules prescribed in Sections 23, 24, and 25 of the statute of 1858, the orders and other documents comprised in recent correspondence regarding the administration of the Army in India [Cd. 2574] were placed before and dealt with by the Council of India, and, in particular, if the despatch of 31st May was placed in the Council Room for perusal of all Members of Council during seven days before it was sent to the Governor-General of India; and can copies of any, opinions or dissents recorded by any Members of Council during the course of that correspondence be placed before Parliament at an early date.
(Answered by Mr. Secretary Brodrick.) The procedure laid down in the Act of 1858 was strictly complied with in respect of the orders and other documents relating to Army administration in India which were recently presented to Parliament. If the hon. Member will refer to the Act, he will see that two courses are open to the Secretary of State in respect of a despatch which he proposes to send to India. He can either bring it before a meeting of Council, or can lay it for seven days in the Council Room for the perusal of Members of Council. The former course is the one usually adopted for matters of importance, and it is the one that was adopted on this occasion. The despatch of 31st May was passed nemine contradicente, and no dissents were recorded. As regards any notes or opinions which may have been written during the discussion of the matter, the established practice is to regard such documents as confidential 1120 and to decline to publish them; and I do not see any reason for departing from it.