§ Mr. BOOTHI wish to ask your guidance, Sir, with regard to a matter which was referred to yesterday, namely, the summoning or issuing of requests to hon. Members of this House to attend a conference in the room of the Chairman of Committees. I wish to ask you whether it is incumbent upon us to reply to that request, and whether that conference may be taken as a confidential interview, or whether hon. Members must be prepared to hear an ex parte statement from someone who is present in the House. I have been summoned to many interviews, and I have been received fairly. I have had the protection of the Chairman of Ways and Means, and I think the purpose is perhaps served, but I wish to humbly 375 submit to you that yesterday an injustice was done to the hon. Member for Somerset (Mr. King), and it is on that account I ask you if you can guide us in this matter. We are exceedingly anxious not to be discourteous to the occupant of the office of Chairman of Committees, and not to deny any hon. Members an opportunity of a private interview to see if an arrangement can be made, but I should like a ruling or direction from you as to whether that is a confidential interview, and whether hon. Members may freely attend or freely stay away.
§ Mr. SPEAKERI presume there was no "R.S.V.P." on the card, and the hon. Member was not obliged to reply or to go unless he wished. My experience, during the ten years I held the office of Chairman of Ways and Means, was that very often an extremely useful purpose was served in bringing the parties together and in focusing the point at issue. Very often, under the magnifying glass that was applied, it was found that the point at issue was a very small point easily settled, and by that means the time of the House was frequently saved. Therefore, I should be the last to discourage the system of having those meetings in the room of the Chairman of Ways and Means. I think it must depend very largely upon the circumstances of each case whether what passes is to be taken as confidential or not. If an agreement is arrived at between the parties, there need be no necessity for any seal of confidence being imposed, but, of course, if differences still remain, the probability is that both parties would consider that on the whole it would be better not to refer to anything that took place in that conference. I am afraid I cannot give the hon. Member any further light in the matter. Each case must really depend upon its own merits. I am very sorry if the hon. Member for North Somerset suffered any injustice.
§ Mr. BOOTHIn this case I, as one of those summoned and as one of those present, stated that my opposition to this particular Bill was in no wise mollified. They had not met a single point I had made. Therefore, I presume it falls within the category of those interviews which you suggest should not be referred to in the House?
§ Mr. SPEAKERI observed the hon. Member's opposition was as strong as ever.
Mr. KINGArising out of the fact that these conferences really do play an important and useful part in our work, and also are a frequent occurrence, I want to ask you, Sir, whether you will enter into communication with the Chairman of Ways and Means so that there may be some definite understanding arrived at as to whether they are to be confidential or not, and so that, in the event of anything said or admitted at these conferences being disclosed, there should be some understanding between the different parties that the intention to disclose any admissions should be communicated to the other party before the debate begins. I was in the unfortunate position of assuming that nothing could be said relative to that conference. If I had been able in my opening remarks in the debate to refer to it, I should have made a different speech from that which I felt obliged to make under the circumstances under which I spoke.
§ Mr. SPEAKERI ought not to attempt to regulate the procedure of the Chairman of Ways and Means at all in this matter. I think it must rest with him. I will only add this. It would seem to be desirable, after what has happened, that it should be made perfectly clear before the parties leave the room, as to whether any seal of confidence is imposed or not. Misunderstandings would in that way be saved.
§ NEW MEMBER SWORN.—John Edward Gordon, commonly called the Hon. John Edward Gordon, for the Parliamentary Borough of Brighton.