§ Mr. RONALD M'NEILLI desire to, ask you, Mr. Speaker, a question relating to a matter of procedure—whether you would be good enough to inform the House, for the guidance of hon. Members, whether there are any restrictions on the right of Members to correct the OFFICIAL REPORT of speeches delivered by them in the House, and in particular whether there is any unwritten rule or honourable understanding that corrections should be limited to verbal errors, 1633 and that Members may not, by the insertion of words or phrases, effect material changes in the meaning of that which they actually said in the House?
§ Mr. SPEAKERI have consulted the Editor of the OFFICIAL REPORT on this matter, and he tells me that, although hon. Members make corrections, he revises those corrections, and it does not follow that because an hon. Member makes a correction in the proof that that correction is always accepted. I asked the Editor on what principles he went, and he said that the chief principle which guided him was to obtain an absolutely correct report of what was said.
§ Mr. BONAR LAWHear, hear.
§ Mr. SPEAKERHe is very careful not to allow any corrections which would in any way alter the general sense of the speech made, but that he does accept corrections, for instance, of faults of grammar, split infinitives, redundancies, or incorrect dates, and I have told the Editor that in my opinion he is in that way acting quite correctly.
§ Sir WILLIAM BYLESMay I ask you whether it has not long been the practice of hon. Members to make slight verbal alterations in the proof which reaches them in order to make their meaning more precise and accurate?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThat may be their habit, but it rests with the Editor of the OFFICIAL. REPORT to consider whether that amendment or alteration does materially affect the sense.
§ Mr. WHYTEIs it not the case that, owing to the difficulty of reporting hon. Members, who usually speak in the direction away from you, the report taken of speeches in this House often omits very material sentences, and therefore, Sir, it may often happen that in an important Debate phrases or words are omitted or inserted which did not actually leave the lips of the speaker?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThat is so, and I have had complaints from the reporters that when hon. Members, and I am sorry to add, right hon. Members, turn their backs on the Chair and address the benches below the Gangway, it is very often very difficult to catch exactly what is said. I have given instructions in cases of that kind that it is the duty of the reporter to leave a blank if he is not able to take down 1634 the exact words, and to ascertain from other sources what was said, and fill up the blank in that way.
§ Mr. CROOKSDoes not a blank mean a swear word?
§ Mr. RONALD M'NEILLWould it not be possible to arrange that the Reporters' Gallery in this House should be opposite the Chair, as it is in the House of Lords, so that there would be no difficulty in hearing what was said?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThat is not a matter for me to decide; that is a matter for the First Commissioner of Works.