4. Earl WINTERTONasked the Secretary of State for India if it is still the intention of the Government, before presenting proposals to Parliament for the amendment of the Government of India Act, to invite Parliament to refer these proposals to consideration by a Joint Committee of both Houses and to facilitate the presentation to that, Committee both of the views of the Indian Central Legislature by delegations, who will be invited to attend and confer with the Joint Committee, and also of the views of any other bodies whom the Joint Parliamentary Committee may desire to consult?
§ Mr. BENNIn the correspondence of October last between the Chairman of the Statutory Commission and the Prime Minister, which was published at the time, it was contemplated that the procedure by Joint Parliamentary Committee would still be appropriate for the examination of the proposals finally laid before Parliament as the result of the conference. The question whether it may be necessary or desirable to modify in any respect the procedure originally contemplated is one which the Noble Lord will no doubt agree it would be premature to consider until the results of the round-table Conference are known.