§ Mr. JOHN REDMOND(by Private Notice): I beg to ask the Prime Minister a question, of which I have given him private notice: Whether the Government have decided to depart from the terms of the agreement arrived at by Irish parties, accepting the proposals put before them by the Secretary of State for War, and whether they have determined to insert in their draft Bill new proposals at variance with that agreement without even consulting the Nationalist party, and whether he has received an intimation that any Bill so framed in violation of the agreement come to will be vigorously opposed at all its stages by the Irish party?
§ The PRIME MINISTERThe agreement come to on this question was, as I said a fortnight ago, arranged by my right hon. Friend, subject to reference to and approval by the Cabinet. Two main principles embodied in that agreement were accepted by both sections of the Cabinet, Unionists and Home Rulers. The Unionists of the Cabinet, as they said, and I am sure quite sincerely, influenced very largely by the attitude of the hon. and learned Member and his Friends during the War, agreed that the Government of Ireland Act should be called into immediate operation; on the other hand, the Home Rulers in the Cabinet agreed that six Ulster counties should not be brought in except by their own consent, and with the express authority of a new Act of Parliament. In the course of the settling of the Bill effecting these objects two questions arose which required consideration. The first was as to the form in which the exclusion of the Ulster counties should be provided for. We believed that it was common ground among all parties to the agreement that this area should not be subject to automatic inclusion, and we did not propose to do more than make that sure. The other question was the retention, after Home Rule, of the Irish Members in the 1339 Imperial Parliament, in undiminished numbers, as provided by one of the heads of the agreement. But on a full examination of the matter the Government felt that they could not themselves agree, or have any expectation of the House of Commons being brought to agree, to accept this arrangement, to continue after the next election except for the purpose of any proposed alteration in the Government of Ireland Act or of the Amending Bill. With this explanation the answer to the question of my hon. Friend is that the Government do not propose to introduce any Bill in regard to which there is not beforehand the prospect of a substantial agreement between all the principal parties concerned.
§ Mr. REDMONDThe answer of the right hon. Gentleman is, of course, in the nature of an argument, and cannot be answered by me in the form of a question, but I must be allowed to say this, that I emphatically repudiate the interpretation which he has put upon one Clause in the agreement. That Clause in the agreement is in existence, and the right hon. Gentleman can publish it. Further than that, that Clause was inserted in the draft Bill by the Government We stand by every word of that. I conclude by asking him whether it is not a fact that on Saturday last the Secretary of State for War and the Home Secretary sent for me and said that they had been entrusted by the Cabinet with the duty of conveying to me a message, and that their message was that a decision had been come to by the Cabinet upon these two points one of which I had never heard mentioned as having any objection taken to it at all, and that they informed me further that they were not empowered to discuss these matters with me, or to consult me at all, but were only empowered to convey the message that this decision had been come to?
§ The PRIME MINISTERI am not quite sure what my hon. and learned Friend's question is directed to, but I have told him, and I hope quite simply and explicitly, that we shall not introduce any Bill for this purpose unless we are satisfied beforehand that we have the assent of all the principal parties concerned.
§ Mr. REDMONDIn the circumstances I will ask the permission of the House to move the Adjournment to call atten- 1340 tion to a definite matter of urgent public importance, namely, the rapidly growing unrest in Ireland and the deplorable effect on the Irish situation which must result from the fact that the Government do not propose to carry out in their entirety the terms proposed by them for the temporary settlement of the Irish difficulty, and which were submitted by us to our supporters and accepted by both Irish parties.
§ The PRIME MINISTERIf the hon. and learned Member will allow me for a moment, I agree that this is a perfectly proper subject for discussion, but I do not think that the Motion for the Adjournment at a quarter-past eight would be the most convenient way of dealing with it. To-morrow would, I think—[HON. MEMBERS: "No!"]
§ Mr. REDMONDThis matter does not rest with me, but as far as I am concerned I do not desire to postpone for one hour a discussion on the subject, and I must persist in asking for permission to move the Adjournment. [HON. MEMBERS: "Small nationalities!" "Scraps of Paper!" "You will betray Belgium if you betray Ireland!"]
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe hon. Member having asked leave to move the Adjournment of the House to call attention to a definite matter of urgent public importance, namely, "the rapidly growing unrest in Ireland and the deplorable effect on the Irish situation which must result from the fact that the Government do not propose to carry out in their entirety the terms proposed by them for the temporary settlement of the Irish difficulty which was accepted by Irish parties," is it your pleasure that leave be given?
The pleasure of the House having been signified, the Motion stood over, under Standing Order No. 10, until a quarter-past eight this evening.