§ MR. NIELD (Middlesex, Ealing)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether, in the event of the Committee appointed to inquire into the work now performed at the National Physical Laboratory asking for evidence from persons who either personally or as spokesmen of an institution object to giving evidence before the Committee on the ground that they distrust its impartiality, he will give such persons opportunity to lay their views before the Treasury before any action based on the report of Committee is taken by the Treasury.
§ MR. RUNCIMANNo, Sir.
§ MR. NIELDI beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether it is 280 competent under the present terms of reference for the Treasury Committee, appointed to consider the conduct of the National Physical Laboratory, to report in favour of a reconstitution of the executive committee of the National Physical Laboratory, in order that it may include representatives of bodies now unrepresented, such as the Institute of Chemistry, the Institution of Gas Engineers, and the Surveyors' Institute, and also representative independent-consultants; and that the professional bodies now represented, such as the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, and the Iron and Steel Institute, shall have a larger representation than at present; and, in the event of it not being competent under the present terms of reference to recommend these alterations, whether he is prepared to amend the terms of reference so as to include them in the scope of the Committee's labours.
§ MR. RUNCIMANEvidence on such questions has, I understand, been already taken by the Committee; and any recommendations which they may see fit to make for changing representation so as to advance the work of the Laboratory will receive consideration by the Treasury.