§ 5. Major HUNTasked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether Miss Emily Hobhouse obtained permission from the Foreign Office to travel in Belgium?
§ 6. Mr. PENNEFATHERasked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is aware that a Miss Emily Hobhouse, a British subject, has been enabled to travel hundreds of miles through Germany and Belgium; by whose permission Miss Hobhouse went to Germany and Belgium; whether it was with the knowledge of the British Government; and, if so, were they aware of Miss Hobhouse's object in going?
§ Lord R. CECILHis Majesty's Government are aware of Miss Hobhouse's visit to Germany and Belgium, which evidently took place with the permission of the German authorities, but His Majesty's Government had no knowledge of the matter until after the lady's return to Switzerland.
§ Mr. ASHLEYSurely the Foreign Office had to issue a passport showing where this lady was going to travel?
§ Lord R. CECILI can assure my hon. Friend that the Foreign Office certainly never issued a passport to enable any British subject to go to Germany.
§ Major HUNTDid they issue a passport to allow Miss Hobhouse to go abroad?
§ Lord R. CECILI should like notice of that, but I presume she had a passport before she went abroad.
§ Sir W. BYLESMay I ask whether the visits of this lady to high officials in the German Foreign Office might be of great service to this country?
§ Lord R. CECILNo, Sir; I think it is very undesirable that any British subject should pay visits to German high officials.
§ Mr. PENNEFATHERAre we to infer from the Noble Lord's replies that if Miss Hobhouse obtained a passport to leave this country she must have done so under false pretences?
§ Lord R. CECILNo, Sir, I should not like to say that. I do not know that the facts in my possession warrant any statement of that kind. No doubt she obtained a passport to go to an Allied or neutral country. What she did after that I do not know. I have no reason to suppose that she made any false statements to us.