§ Mr. WILLIAM REDMONDMay I ask a question in regard to a matter of privilege? I desire to ask whether your attention, Mr. Speaker, has been called recently to the fact that the chairman appointed on a Private Bill Committee in this House was objected to by some of those interested in the Bill. May I ask whether the Railway Chairmen's Committee have resented that objection, and insisted on the appointment of this Gentleman, and whether you can give the Members of the House any information on this point, which very nearly touches our privileges?
§ Mr. SPEAKERI do not think I have any further information to give than that which, it appears, the hon. Gentleman himself has, namely, that objection was taken to the appointment of an hon. Member to act as Chairman of a particular Committee, and that the matter did come before the General Committee on Railway and Canal Bills. They entirely disapproved of the course taken by the Parliamentary agents, and they renominated, or, at all events, 236 they persisted, as I think quite properly, in the nomination which had been made. I think it must appear to the whole House that, having delegated to a particular Committee the duty of selecting a Chairman, it would be an intolerable situation if then-decisions were liable to be overruled or objected to by any outside parties.
§ Mr. WILLIAM REDMONDI am much obliged for what you have said. May I ask whether the action of the Parliamentary agents or others interested in a Private Bill, in imputing motives in any way to the Chairman or to any Member of any of those Committees, is or is not a breach of the privileges of the House?
§ Mr. SPEAKERI do not think that under those particular circumstances there was a breach of privilege, but I can quite imagine that such a case might arise in future. Of course, it is my duty to watch that very carefully, and if my attention is again drawn to it I should probably have to bring it directly before the attention of the House.