MR. GIBSON BOWLES (Lynn Regis)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury can he state what is the present composition of the Defence Committee; 629 of how many members it is composed; and how those members are appointed; is it the practice to admit to its proceedings on the footing of membership persons other than members of the Committee, such as the Permanent Under-Secretary for the Colonies and the Attorney-General; are such persons allowed to vote as members, and are the confidential documents of the Committee communicated to them; and is this communication irrespective of their having taken, or not, the Privy Councillor's oath of secrecy; is it proposed that the confidential documents of the Committee, in the keeping of the Prime Minister for the time being, shall be retained by him on his leaving office; or is it intended that he shall either hand them over to his successor as Prime Minister or leave them in charge of the secretary of the Committee to be communicated to that successor.
§ THE PRIME MINISTER AND FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR, Manchester, E.)I hope that my hon. friend will allow me to say, without disrespect to the ten Questions put to me, that I really think almost every one was answered, and answered more fully than would be proper in reply to a Question, when I made the two speeches on this subject last Thursday. There are two Questions which I think were not specifically dealt with, and these are whether the confidential documents of the Committee are communicated to the Permanent Under-Secretary for the Colonies and the Attorney-General, and to gentlemen who have assisted us from time to time when the subjects brought before the Committee were of a character on which their advice could be of great importance and value. When these two gentlemen attend they act as members of the Committee; but of course that does not mean that documents not relating to the subjects under discussion by the Committee are communicated to them or entrusted to their custody. Then the hon. Member seems to think that there is an impropriety in any gentleman being asked to attend the Committee who is not a Privy Councillor. That is not regarded as a bar. I need not say that I made it abundantly clear that the reports of the proceedings of the Committee and the 630 minutes of meetings and the various documents from time to time submitted to it are left for the perusal of our successors should they desire to see at what conclusions we have arrived, and why we have arrived at them.
MR. GIBSON BOWLESPerhaps the right hon. Gentleman will forgive me for asking yet another Question. Looking at the great importance of this new constitutional body, do I understand that the documents will be left in the charge of the secretary, and can the right hon. Gentleman tell me of how many members the Committee is composed, and how they are appointed?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI think the hon. Member was not present when I made my second speech. If he reads it he will see that I dealt at considerable length and in detail with that point. Perhaps he will refer to that speech, and then, if he remains unsatisfied on any point, he can put a Question to me. The House knows that a permanent office, as it were—not a very large one—has been created which is quite irrespective of the incoming or the outgoing of Parliamentary Ministers. It is with the secretary of that permanent body, now responsible for their keeping, that the documents will be left when any Ministry goes out of office.
MR. GIBSON BOWLESI understand from reading the right hon. Gentleman's speech that the Prime Minister is the only absolutely necessary member of the Committee. Of how many members is the Committee composed and how was it appointed? The right hon. Gentleman has not answered that.
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI do not think that I can add to what I have said before.
§ SIR HENRY FOWLERMay I ask, as to the occasional members of the Committee who do not attend regularly and are not Privy Councillors, whether a distinct pledge is taken from them equivalent to the Privy Councillor's oath that they will maintain an absolute secrecy as to all that takes place in the Committee or in connection with its proceedings?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI do not think that any formal ceremony is necessary. It is understood, of course—and this follows from the very nature of the Committee—that the deliberations are of the most confidential character. The Permanent Under-Secretary for the Colonies, for instance, has in his hands every day the most confidential documents and is absolutely trusted by successive Governments. As for the Attorney-General, I do not know what secret he does not know. Certainly, though he is hardly ever, by the practice of the Constitution, a Privy Councillor, it has never occurred to any one to think that the Attorney-General for the time being, as a member of the Government, cannot be absolutely trusted with any secret.
Mr. GIBSON BOWLESWhat is the style of the Committee? Is "The Committee of Defence" its proper name?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURNo, that is its familiar and affectionate name. I believe "The Council of Imperial Defence" is the true style and title of the Committee.