§ 48. Mr. HALL-CAINEasked the Prime Minister whether Sir Frederick Leith-Ross, the chief economic adviser to the Government, was instructed to outline at Geneva the conditions under which Great Britain would be prepared to return to the Gold Standard; and whether he will consider in future arranging that communiqués of this character should first of all be issued to the British Parliament by the appropriate Ministers?
§ The PRIME MINISTERNo statement was made at Geneva which went beyond or was not in accordance with statements previously made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer and other Ministers in the House of Commons. I should like to make it clear than these statements do not indicate that Great Britain is prepared to return to the Gold Standard in present circumstances. On the contrary, they make it plain in the words used by the Preparatory Committee of Experts at Geneva that there are a great number of economic as well as financial conditions which must be fulfilled before the restoration of an international Gold Standard can be a practical possibility.
§ Mr. MANDERWill my right hon. Friend be prepared to consider issuing as a White Paper the very important statement made by Sir Frederick Leith-Ross on this occasion?
§ The PRIME MINISTERI do not think so.
§ Mr. MANDERIs my right hon. Friend not aware that no authorised statement has been made in this country on what was said there, and will he give the matter consideration at any rate, in view of the importance of the subject and the interest that is taken in it in this country?
§ The PRIME MINISTERThe statement I have just made, my hon. Friend may assume, is fully authorised.