§ 41. Mr. EDEasked the Prime Minister whether the terms of the Economy Report were officially communicated by the late Government, or by any Member of it, or on its authority to the Liberal party leaders or to anyone outside His Majesty's late Government prior to its publication on the 31st July, 1931?
§ The PRIME MINISTERYes, Sir. The Committee was appointed as the result of a Motion which was accepted by all three parties in this House and was carried practically unanimously. The personnel and terms of reference of the Committee were settled after consultation between the leaders of the three parties. In those circumstances it was not only courteous but right, when the signed report was received, to communicate its contents in proof form to the leaders of the Conservative and Liberal parties, in advance of the final copies which could not be printed before 31st July, and for that action the late Government was responsible.
§ Mr. EDEMay I ask whether, when the draft copies were supplied to the leaders of the other two parties, any embargo was placed upon them as to how far down in the parties the information was to be given? Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that his present 291 Minister of Mines, who at that time was a private Member of the House—
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe hon. Member must put that question on the Order Paper.
§ The PRIME MINISTERI want to say, quite emphatically, that these documents were communicated only two days before they were published under the usual, ordinary and habitual seal of confidence, a method adopted whenever communications like that have been made in anticipation of general publication.
§ Mr. EDEMay I ask the Prime Minister why, if it was communicated to the Liberal "Shadow Cabinet," it was not communicated to the consultative committee of the Labour party?
§ The PRIME MINISTERThe Labour Government were responsible for the Government's work as representative of the party.
§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYI should like to ask for your guidance, Mr. Speaker. I want to raise, as a question of privilege, the furnishing to certain Members of this House of a Command Paper before it was laid and printed. Will you permit me to do that?
§ Mr. SPEAKERI do not see how it arises.
§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYThe point of Order is, that a Command Paper is not available in the Vote Office for Members before it has been laid and printed by order of the House. I submit that a breach of privilege has taken place by its disclosure to other Members of this House, and I should like to raise that as a matter of privilege.
§ Mr. SPEAKERThere is a body for dealing with matters of privilege.
§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYI beg to give notice that I will raise the matter at the end of Questions.
§ At the end of Questions—
§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYI apologise for bringing forward this matter at this moment, but I have no alternative. If hon. Members will look at Sir Erskine May's "Parliamentary Practice" they will find that it is 292 necessary to raise questions of Privilege immediately, and the usual time is before the commencement of public business. Also a matter of Privilege may be brought forward without notice. The matter I desire to raise was initiated by the hon. Member for South Shields (Mr. Ede), and it refers to the rights of Members and Command Papers and Reports of Committees appointed by the House. I ask hon. Members, irrespective of party, to remember that we may all be private Members at some time or other and that the rights of private Members are always in danger of being infringed. In this case, a Royal Commission was appointed by Order of the House, and naturally its report was expected by hon. Members with great interest.
A few moments ago we heard from the Prime Minister that advance copies of a Command Paper had been given to certain Members of this House not in an official position. I have in my hand a copy of the "Western Morning News," of the 24th August last, in which the hon. Member for Bodmin (Mr. Foot) now Secretary for Mines but then a private Member of the House, who described himself as a member of a body known as "the Liberal Shadow Cabinet," said that, being a Member of the Shadow Cabinet, he knew what the Economy Committee proposed before the report was published. As the report is furnished at the public expense, and as the money is voted by Parliament, I say that Members of this House have an equal right and that a breach of Privilege, contrary to the dignity of this House, has been committed by one who should have been its guardian.
§ Mr. SPEAKERI have listened to what the hon. and gallant Member has said and clearly no breach of Privilege arises. The committee was set up in the ordinary way by the Government and no question of Privilege arises. It was a Departmental Committee.
Mr. MACLEANSeeing that the committee referred to by the hon. and gallant Member for Central Hull (Lieut.-Commander Kenworthy) was a committee set up by a vote of this House on a specific Motion, it was therefore a committee of this House and not a Departmental Committee at all. It was given powers to go into all questions of 293 national expenditure and report. Therefore, it was not a Departmental Committee, but a Committee of Parliament.
§ Mr. HAMMERSLEYFurther to that point of Order. Is it not a fact that the committee was set up by Treasury Minute dated 17th March, 1931?
§ Mr. SPEAKERI can but repeat what has been said, that the committee was set up in the ordinary way by the Government. No question of privilege arises.
§ Mr. EDEMay I remind you that the committee was set up by this House on a Motion moved by the night hon. Gentleman the present President of the Board of Education, that this House decided that the committee should be set up, and that therefore, inasmuch as the committee was set up by this House, the report of the committee should be available to every Member of the House at the same time?
§ Mr. SPEAKERI do not recall that particular incident.
§ Mr. EDEIf there is any doubt as to that, the President of the Board of Education will be able to affirm or deny whether it was not upon his Motion that the committee was set up by 468 votes to 21.
§ Mr. SPEAKERIt is quite unnecessary. I have given my Ruling.