§ The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER (Mr. Lloyd George)I beg to move, "That the Select Committee have leave to sit notwithstanding the adjournment of the House:
That the Committee have leave to adjourn from place to place:
That the Committee have leave to send their Report, if they think fit, and the House is not sitting, to the Clerk of the House, who shall thereupon give directions for the printing of the Report and its circulation, and shall lay the Report upon the Table of the House at its next meeting."
§ Mr. BOOTHMay I ask whether this Committee has yet sat, whether it has elected a chairman, and whether there is any proposal to add any further members to the Committee?
§ Mr. RAFFANBefore this Resolution is agreed to there are one or two matters that it would be extremely useful if the Chancellor of the Exchequer would give some information to the House upon. A question of the greatest importance is whether or not this matter is to be treated as an administrative one, whether any decision arrived at by the Committee will come into force as a result of that decision, or whether it will come as a recommendation before the House, so that when a Report is presented the House will have an opportunity of reviewing the decision. Then it would be extremely convenient if the right hon. Gentleman could give us some information as to the nature of the evidence that the Committee propose to hear. Naturally the Committee will desire, in the first instance, that their sittings should not be unduly prolonged; on the other hand, that they should hear all interests which are entitled to be heard.
It would be well that those who desire to give evidence should know what interpretation the Committee is likely to put upon this question of evidence. For instance, would the mayor of a town who has been engaged in the administration of relief, or the chairman of a relief committee—who might desire to make suggestions as to the manner in which the pensions and grants should be given—or in a colliery district would a colliery proprietor or a labour leader, who takes an interest in these matters, be entitled to come forward and say that the allowances are inadequate because of the wages earned by the men when they volunteered for the front? Assuming that these men would be heard, who on the Committee should be communicated with? The only other point I desire to mention is this: I observe that the Committee asks for leave to adjourn from place to place. Does that mean that the Committee may sit not merely in London, but in provincial centres? I understand that the answer to that question is in the negative. Well, then, may I inquire when the Committee will decide these points, so that those who consider they have useful evidence to present may have the opportunity of putting it before the Committee!
§ Mr. LLOYD GEORGEIn reply to the hon. Member for Pontefract, I may say 951 that the Committee met yesterday and elected me as its chairman. In reply to the hon. Member for Leigh, I think it is rather premature to make any statement in regard to the nature of the evidence. The Committee have not come to any final conclusion, because they have not had an opportunity of going into the various questions presented for consideration. We shall begin first of all by taking the official evidence, and that will give the Committee a very good idea of the scope of the inquiry which they have been set up to prosecute. They will not decide finally what evidence they will reject until they have gone into the matter a little more fully than they have done at present. My hon. Friend will perceive that there is a very general desire that the Committee should come to a decision at the earliest possible moment because of administrative necessity. If every chairman of a relief committee were to appear, and give evidence, we should never come to an end of our inquiries, and meanwhile certain matters which are clamouring for decision would be postponed to the detriment of the Services in keeping alive an agitation which in itself is doing a lot of harm, apart from any particular grievances which are being ventilated. With regard to the question whether the Committee will report soon, I think that is the general desire. Their report will be in the nature of a recommendation from a Committee of the House of Commons to the Executive, and whatever they recommend the Government will give a decision immediately upon it, and not wait until Parliament again meets. We cannot possibly come to a decision this week, and therefore we want to have power to sit during the time the House is in suspense. With regard to the point about adjourning from place to place, unless we had those powers we should have to sit upstairs, which may not always be convenient, and it is necessary we should get the authority of Parliament in order to enable us to sit in places outside.
§ Mr. J. WARDThere is one question I want to ask the right hon. Gentleman. He seemed to throw doubt upon whether the House would act upon the recommendation of the Committee. Is it not a fact that the Prime Minister has already told the House that it was the intention of the Government, in setting up the Committee, to immediately act upon its report?
§ Mr. A. C. MORTONWill the meetings of the Committee be open to the public?
§ Mr. LLOYD GEORGEI hope not.
§ Mr. WARDI must press the right hon. Gentleman for an answer. Reports of this kind are sometimes laid upon the Table and the result is that nothing is done until many days have expired. I should like to know whether the statement of the Prime Minister that the Government would take the recommendations of the Committee and act upon them holds good, or whether we are to understand that if the Government think fit they may delay the matter for fifty or sixty days by laying it on the Table?
§ Mr. LLOYD GEORGEThe whole point of the Motion is that we should act upon the Report of the Committee at once. This Motion would not be necessary if we had to wait until the House again meets.
§ Question put, and agreed to.