HC Deb 14 May 1935 vol 301 cc1545-7
Mr. H. WILLIAMS

Mr. Speaker, with your leave, I desire to raise a question of Privilege. During the course of yesterday, in common with many, if not all, the hon. Members of this House, I received a letter from the secretary of the League for the Prohibition of Cruel Sports. This letter enclosed a questionnaire asking my views on five questions. The details of these questions are not in themselves a matter with which I need concern you, except to say that, briefly speaking, they ask my views on what are sometimes called, in my view unjustifiably, blood sports. As I have never been a member of a Hunt and have never had a gun licence, it may not be inappropriate that I should be the one to raise the question of Privilege involved, which arises out of the concluding sentence of the letter, reading as follows: If we do not hear from you, we shall feel justified in letting your constituents know that you have no objection to cruel sports. This sentence seems to me to be a particularly objectionable form of political blackmail and, moreover, seems to be a gross breach of the Privileges of this Honourable House, and I should be grateful, Mr. Speaker, if you would state your opinion as to whether a prima facie case of such a breach of Privilege has been established.

Mr. MACQUISTEN

I also received one.

Mr. SPEAKER

In giving my Ruling on the question raised by the hon. Member for South Croydon (Mr. H. Williams), it is probably necessary, as I generally do on these occasions, to point out to the House that the subject matter of the letter which the hon. Member has partly read does not influence me in any way whatever. It is no concern of mine at all. It appears to me, in considering the case which the hon. Member has put before the House, that the methods employed, if they are as he has stated, would constitute a breach of Privilege of this House, or rather that he has made out a prima facie case for a breach of Privilege of this House.

Mr. H. WILLIAMS

I beg to move: That the letter sent to hon. Members by the Secretary of the League for Prohibition of Cruel Sports constitutes a gross breach of the Privileges of this House.

Mr. WELLS

I beg to second the Motion.

Resolved, That the letter sent to hon. Members by the Secretary of the League for Prohibition of Cruel Sports constitutes a gross breach of the Privileges of this House.