§ 48. Mr. THURTLEasked the Prime Minister whether his attention has been drawn to the fact that the senior Member for the University of Oxford (Lord Hugh Cecil) has accepted an appointment which is in practice incompatible with membership of Parliament, has consequently ceased to draw his Parliamentary salary, and has for all practical purposes ceased to be a Member of Parliament; and whether he will consider moving to appoint a Select Committee of this House to consider the question whether by accepting this appointment the senior Member for the University of Oxford has in fact vacated his seat in this House?
§ The PRIME MINISTERI am, of course, aware that the right hon. Gentleman the Senior Member for the University of Oxford has been appointed to be Provost of Eton College. Whether or not by accepting that office my right hon. Friend has vacated his seat in this 1328 House is entirely a question of law. I am advised that the right hon. Gentleman has not so vacated his seat, and I am not prepared to adopt the suggestion of the hon. Member that I should move for the appointment of a Select Committee of this House to consider the question.
§ Mr. THURTLEDoes not the Prime Minister think that the present position is a very anomalous one from the point of view of the University of Oxford; and how long is he going to allow it to continue to suit the caucus of the Conservative party?