§ 51. Commander BELLAIRSasked the Prime Minister, while recognising the possible necessity of certain Orders in Council being kept secret during war and in the crisis prior to war, whether he can state if, during his tenure of office, the practice of publishing all Orders in Council in the "London Gazette" had been strictly adhered to by all Departments up to 25th July, 1914?
§ The PRIME MINISTERI have no knowledge of this matter except the information that I have received from the Privy Council Office, by whom I am told that the Orders in Council so published are: (1) those which are required to be published by Statute; and (2) those gazetted by request of the Department at whose instance they are made.
§ 52. Commander BELLAIRSasked the Prime Minister, in view of the fact that Orders in Council are not being published in the "London Gazette" because of the need of war secrecy in a number of cases, whether he will allow a measure of Parliamentary control over the Executive to be set up through a scrutiny of all those Orders in Council by a Committee of three Members nominated by Mr. Speaker?
§ The PRIME MINISTERA large number of Orders in Council are in fact not published in the "Gazette" for various reasons, but those which involve matters of policy are in all cases subject to the directions of His Majesty's Government exercised through the different Departments. The course proposed by the hon. Member does not appear to be necessary or practicable.