§ 9. Colonel YATEasked the Secretary of State for India whether he will permit members of his Council who are not committed to the Government of India Bill as it stands to give evidence before the Joint Select Committee?
§ Mr. MONTAGUI do not know to what members of my Council my hon. and gallant Friend refers, but I have decided some months ago, with the assent of my Council, that any member thereof who wished to give evidence before the Joint Committee on his own behalf should offer to do so. The decision as to what evidence they will admit or require rests with the Committee alone.
§ Colonel YATEAs I believe the right hon. Gentleman nominates the members who are to give evidence before the Committee, will he say how many members of his Council he has nominated; and, as the members he has nominated are presumably in conformity with his views, will he nominate an equal number of those oppised to his views?
§ Mr. MONTAGUMy hon. and gallant Friend is quite mistaken. I do not nominate the members. [An HON. MEMBER: "Dominate!"] I am quite sure the hon. and gallant Member does not mean that. [Hon. MEMBERS: "He said 'nominate!'"] The Committee know that the members of the Council of India are willing to give any information and any evidence they may be asked to give. I do not know whether any of them have applied to the Committee to give evidence.
§ Colonel YATEHas the right hon. Gentleman given the names of any members of the Council to the President of the Select Committee?
§ Mr. MONTAGUI have given the names of all my Council. In this regard I have said that the Council is free to give evidence, or any member of it, and they would presumably be summoned by the Committee.