HC Deb 07 August 1913 vol 56 cc1761-2
Mr. KING

I beg to ask the Home Secretary a question, of which I have given him private notice, whether in view of the allegations in the Press there is any ground for the statement that the name of any Member of the Cabinet or of the Government appears in any book, diary, letters, or documents found by the police in the Piccadilly fiat recently occupied by Queenie Gerald?

Mr. McKENNA

In view of the allegations made in the Press, I read through very carefully this morning all the documents, including the diary, ledger, letters, and other documents furnished me by the police which were found in the flat recently occupied by Queenie Gerald, and I am happy to assure the hon. Member that in the whole of those documents from beginning to end I did not find the name of any single Member of the Government or the Cabinet.

Mr. KING

Can the right hon. Gentleman say the same of the House of Commons?

Mr. McKENNA

Yes, Sir, I can say the same of every Member of the House of 'Commons except, that I must make this qualification, that in the list of names of business houses, as I read them to be, having nothing to do with the business carried on by this woman, there appears one name of a Member of this House on business grounds—I do not mean the business carried on by Queenie Gerald. This woman appears to have had investments on the Stock Exchange, and in the course of making those investments she appears —it is impossible to say whether it is precisely so or not—to have got a list of names of brokers and other persons, and amongst those names there does appear the name of a Member of the House of Commons, with that qualification I am happy to say that the name of no Member of the House of Commons on any side of the House appears in any of those documents.