§ Mr. HOGGEI beg to ask a question of the Prime Minister, of which I have given him urgent though short notice. It is: Whether he is aware that at the military inquiry on the Empire Battalion representation was refused this morning to a Member of this House who had made the charges which rendered the inquiry necessary, and whether that course has the approval of the War Office, and if so, why?
§ Mr. TENNANTI have been informed by my hon. Friend that he himself was refused a locus standi at the Court of Inquiry which the War Office has ordered into the affairs of the Empire Battalion. I have no power to interfere with the discretion of the Court of Inquiry as to who it will or will not call; but I have no doubt if my hon. Friend were to give an assurance that he was able to supply evidence which no other person could supply, and if that fact were reported to the Court, we should be enabled to gratify the hon. Member's ambition to attend.
§ Mr. HOGGEArising out of that reply, may I ask my right hon. Friend—and incidentally I must say I have no desire to appear as a witness whether Members of this House, who are also members of the Empire Battalion Committee, are to be allowed at this inquiry to traverse the charges which I made, in this House, while I am not to be entitled to cross-examine the evidence? I made certain charges which led the War Office to erect this Court of Inquiry. But for that, the inquiry would not have been directed to be held at the desire of this House. I should like further to ask—I do not know how far it is a question of privilege—how one is situated at an inquiry which arises out of a Debate in this House? I made certain charges which led the War Office to erect this inquiry. I tried unsuccessfully to get some sort of standing before that Committee. A watching brief would have satisfied me if I had been allowed to attend. I go along this morning to that Court, and I am told by the Military Court who are set up by the War Office, which is under our control, that I have no status. I should like to ask you, Sir, in view of that, and of the question I have asked the Under-Secretary, whether this Court is not under our direct control, and will be required ultimately to report to us?
Mr. DEPUTY-SPEAKERCertainly I have no control over the Court of Inquiry, nor has this House in the sense that the hon. Member suggests.
§ Mr. TENNANTPerhaps my hon. Friend will allow me to say that it is true that this House has no absolute control over the Court of Inquiry as it is at present constituted, but, of course, this House has ultimate control over everything that is done by the Government. I respectfully submit that this Court of Inquiry is set up by the War Office in the first place, and it would therefore be for 1365 the War Office to suggest to the Court of Inquiry any course of procedure which it thought proper. In the first instance it is surely within the discretion of the Court to call such witnesses as it thinks proper.
§ Mr. HOGGEIn view of the extremely unsatisfactory answer and the fact that the Court is now sitting and dealing with charges I made in this House, I beg to give notice that I will raise the matter upon the Motion for the Adjournment.