HC Deb 26 November 1908 vol 197 cc700-1
MR. SWIFT MACNEILL

I beg to ask the Prime Minister whether, in the light of recent circumstances, he will consider the advisability of making provision in some form that the assent of Parliament should be required to be given to the making of treaties by Great Britain with foreign Powers before the actual ratification of such treaties, with a view to the conferring on Parliament of a more direct control than it at present possesses over questions of foreign policy, having regard to the fact that Parliament is not consulted even as to the essence of a treaty.

MR. ASQUITH

I am not prepared to give any positive assurance that no treaty concluded by His Majesty's Government will be ratified until Parliament has been consulted and its approval obtained. Such a course would involve a material change in the constitutional usage hitherto followed in this country, and could obviously only be adopted in pursuance of a formal debate and after mature consideration. Nor does it appear to me that any such alteration of procedure is really required, as it will usually happen that an opportunity for debate will be found in the considerable interval that generally takes place between the signature of a treaty and its ratification, and no diplomatic document would be ratified against the declared wishes of this House.

MR. VERNEY (Buckinghamshire, N.)

Is there any rule governing the class of treaties which do or do not demand the assent of Parliament?

MR. ASQUITH

I ought to have notice of that, but I can say at once that if a treaty involves any alteration of statute law, of course the assent of Parliament is needed.

MR. SWIFT MACNEILL

IS the Prime Minister aware that a Motion in this House was all but carried in 1886, approving that treaties in some form should be submitted to this House before being ratified; and is he aware that only one week after Parliament was adjourned we heard for the first time of the promulgation and ratification of an important treaty—the Anglo-Russian Treaty?

MR. ASQUITH

There is a great difference between a thing being carried and all but carried, and I do not quite know what importance my hon. friend attaches to the difference. I will look into the historical side of the matter.