§ 44. Lord ROBERT CECILasked the Prime Minister if he will propose the immediate appointment of a Select Committee of this House to consider and report on the draft mandates presented or to be presented by His Majesty's Government to the Council of the League of Nations?
§ The PRIME MINISTERI do not think any useful purpose would be served by the appointment of a Select Committee and I do not propose to take any action in the sense suggested by the Noble Lord.
§ Lord R. CECILDoes not the right hon. Gentleman think it very desirable that these draft mandates should be fully considered by Parliament before they are dealt with by the Council of the League, and will he suggest any other way by which they can be dealt with except by inquiry by small bodies like Select Committees?
§ The PRIME MINISTERThe Noble Lord knows very well that it is difficult for what are, after all, the conditions of a Treaty, to be discussed by a Committee of the House of Commons. It would be a very great departure from precedent for a step of that kind to be taken. The House of Commons has discussed the question frequently.
§ Lord R. CECILIs my right hon. Friend aware that the discussions have been of a most general character, and necessarily of a most general character in this House, and that these mandates may involve a very considerable expenditure being placed upon this country? It is for those reasons that I suggest a more full discussion.
§ The PRIME MINISTERI agree, but I do not think the House of Commons can usefully deal with these matters, except by general discussions. That, if I may respectfully suggest, is the function of the House of Commons—in that respect. It may either accept or reject, or it may, by giving general indications in the course of debate, inform the Government of the line they should take. But for the House of Commons to go through all the conditions of a mandate, to examine them, and to tie the hands of the Government in entering into 21 negotiations with foreign powers in detail, would be quite impossible.
§ Sir D. MACLEANDoes not the Prime Minister agree that this is the great differentiation between the Treaty and these mandates of which we have now some knowledge, that there are immense financial commitments in connection with them on which this House is fully entitled to be consulted before the country is committed?
§ The PRIME MINISTERI know, but my right hon. Friend is aware that the general outlines of the mandates were determined by the Council of the League of Nations, and settled by a Committee of which my Noble Friend (Lord R. Cecil) was one of the members. The main outlines of the mandates were settled there. There are, no doubt, details which have to be filled up, and if the House of Commons could be useful at all, and no doubt it could, it would have been upon the general principles that were laid down by my Noble Friend.
§ Lord R. CECILAs a matter of personal explanation, may I say that I had nothing whatever to do with Article 22, which was settled entirely by the Council of Ten, on the proposition of the Prime Minister.