§ The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER (Mr. Lloyd George) moved:
§ "That a Select Committee be appointed to consider His Majesty's Most Gracious Message of 14th June relating to the Civil List and to Grants to Her Majesty the Queen and Members of His Majesty's Family:
§ "That the several Papers presented this day relating to the Civil List be referred to the Committee:
§ "That the Committee do consist of Twenty-one Members:
§ "That Mr. Asquith, Mr. Balfour, Mr. Barnes, Mr. Gibson Bowles, Mr. Cave, Mr. Austen Chamberlain, Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sir Edwin Cornwall, Sir Henry Dalziel, Mr. Dickinson, Sir Charles Dilke, Mr. Akers-Douglas, Mr. Ellis, Mr. Hayes Fisher, Sir David Brynmor Jones, Mr. Lonsdale, Mr. Steel-Maitland, Mr. Mildmay, Mr. Shackleton, Mr. Eugene Wason, and Mr. Stuart-Wortley be Members of the Committee:
§ "That Five be the quorum."
§ In rising to move the Motion that stands in my name on the Paper, I do not propose to make any statement at present. The practice hitherto has been, at the commencement of each reign, that a Committee of the House of Commons shall be set up to consider the provision proposed to be made for the maintenance of the dignity of the Crown; that the Government shall submit its proposals for the purpose to that Committee, in the first instance, before submitting them to the House of Commons; that they shall be thoroughly examined by the Committee in the first instance, and that then the Report of the Committee shall be submitted to the House, and full opportunity given for discussion of the proposals. There are obvious advantages undoubtedly in referring, in the first instance, this subject to a Committee. Full information will be placed at the disposal of that Committee which will enable them to come to a just and fair conclusion on the whole of the circumstances. That course will be pursued in the present case, and therefore I confine myself to simply moving the appointment 1321 of the Committee, trusting that discussion of the subject will be deferred until the Committee have examined the proposals, with all the facts before them, and the Report of that Committee has been brought before the House.
§ Question put, and agreed to.