§ Mr. BAKERMay I ask permission, by the indulgence of the House, to make a "personal statement? On Friday last week my attention was called to a question which had been placed on the Paper for answer to-day by the hon. and gallant Member for South Battersea (Viscount Curzon), and when your attention, Sir, was called to the question, you requested the hon. and gallant Member to withdraw it. The difficulty has arisen, so far as I am concerned, because the Press have published that question and its withdrawal has prevented the official denial being given to the allegation contained in the inquiry. I wish to take the opportunity of saying that the insinuations in the questions are without justification. [HON. MEMBERS: "What are they?"] The insinuations were that a certain colleague of mine in the Post Office had been guilty of improper conduct in relation to my election to this House. The person who made the original charge made his charge through the Post Office, and it was investigated by the administration. They found that there was no basis whatever for the statement and that person was good enough to apologise for having given the administration so much trouble. All I want to do is to make clear, in the most public way possible, that there is no foundation for the insinuations which have been put into the mouth of the hon. and gallant Gentleman. Whether he will see fit to apologise for having placed the question on the Paper, without giving me notice of his intention, I cannot say. All I desire to do is to deny the insinuations which have been made.
§ Captain Viscount CURZONIt is somewhat unfortunate, from the point of view of the House, that this particular question is not still on the Paper. There was no intention on my part to make any unfair allegation or to say anything unfair against the hon. Member for East Bristol (Mr. Baker). When I placed the question on the Paper it escaped my notice that the hon. Member had been successful in the Election. It likewise escaped notice at the Table. Otherwise, the question would have gone through in a different form. I do not want to take up time by reading the question, but I accept the assurance which the hon. Member has given and unreservedly withdraw the question, and at the same 264 time tell him that I am very sorry that the question appeared on the Paper without giving him notice. Had I known that he was a Member of this House I should certainly have given him notice.
§ Mr. LEIF JONESDoes not a Member who puts on the Paper a question which makes an allegation make himself fully responsible for the truth of the allegation?
§ Mr. SPEAKER: The Noble Lord was apparently misinformed.