HC Deb 26 June 1905 vol 148 cc83-4
MR. SWIFT MACNEILL

I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether the Secretary of State for War, in prefacing with a statement of his own the Report presented to Parliament of the Committee appointed by the Army Council to consider the question of sales and refunds to contractors in South Africa, made this departure from ordinary practice as a Departmental act in which he could presume the concurrence of his colleagues in the Cabinet, or was the Prime Minister made personally cognisant of the intended publication of this preface, and was the concurrence of the Cabinet to the intended publication ascertained; and, if the intended publication of this preface comes within the cognisance of the Prime Minister or under the review of the Cabinet, what explanation, if any, is there for the publication of a preface by a member of the Cabinet to the Report of a Departmental Committee in criticism of the findings and conclusions of that Committee.

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

The note to which the hon. Gentleman refers was referred to me and had my entire approval, and in my opinion nothing less than that would have been necessary in order to prevent gross misconception on the part of the public. I am not quite sure whether even that was sufficient.

MR. SWIFT MACNEILL

Is there any precedent for the publication by a member of the Cabinet of a Report with a note criticising the conclusions of such a Committee?

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

I see no reason why a member of the Cabinet should not criticise; but, as a matter of fact, this was not a criticism.

SIR H. CAMPBELL-BANNERMAN (Stirling Burghs)

The object of this preface was not then, as it purports to be, to save the interest of persons involved, but to prevent a misconception on the part of the public, which is another matter altogether.

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

I think it is exactly the same matter. The injury which possibly might have been done to the individual consisted of a misconception on the part of the public with regard to the Report. To prevent that misconception was the object of the preface.