§
Resolved:
That a Select Committee be appointed to examine matters that are the subject of current expenditure defrayed out of moneys provided by Parliament for the Defence Services, for Civil Defence and for other services directly connected with the war, and to report what, if any, economies consistent with the execution of the policy decided by the Government may be effected in the expenditure thereon."—[Major Sir James Edmondson.]
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Ordered:
That the Committee do consist of thirty-two Members."—[Major Sir J. Edmondson.]
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Motion made, and Question proposed,
That Sir Ernest Bennett, Mr. Bossom, Mr. Burden, Mr. Butcher, Mr. Cooke, Mr. Culverwell, Viscountess Davidson, Mr. Arthur Duckworth, Sir Ralph Glyn, Sir Arnold Gridley, Mr. Hutchinson, Mr. Hynd, Mr. Keeling, Mr. Kimball, Mr. Kirby, Mr. Leach, Mr. Lipson, Mr. Neil Maclean, Sir Adam Maitland, Major John Morrison, Mr. Oldfield, Mr. Price, Mr. de Rothschild, Sir George Schuster, Sir John Shute, Mr. Ellis Smith, Mr. Turton, Miss Ward, Sir John Wardlaw-Milne, Sir Harold Webbe, Mr. Graham White and Mr. Woodburn be Members of the Committee."—[Sir J. Edmondson.]
§ Mr. Woodburn (Stirling and Clackmannan, Eastern)I am not sure about the procedure, but this may all be passed before I can ask a question, and I would like to ask whether the Government gave any consideration to the Report of the Committee which recommended different terms of reference in the setting up of the new Committee.
§ Mr. Deputy-Speaker (Major Milner)That is not relevant. The whole question now is who shall be members of the Committee.
§ Sir Waldron Smithers (Chislehurst)May I ask who selected the names?
§ Mr. WoodburnMay I ask when, during this procedure, the actual decision of the House to set up such a Committee is taken?
§ Mr. Deputy-SpeakerThat Motion has been put and carried—that a Select Committee be appointed.
§ Sir W. SmithersCertain names have been called out. Who put these names forward?
§ Mr. Deputy-SpeakerThat is not relevant to this question. The question is what names they should be.
§ Sir W. SmithersI object to it.
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Motion made, and Question proposed,
That the Committee have power to send for persons, papers and records; to sit notwithstanding any Adjournment of the House; to adjourn from place to place; and to report from time to time."—[Sir J. Edmondson.]
§ Mr. WoodburnThis, I take it, is the terms of reference to the Committee.
§ Mr. Deputy-SpeakerThis is the power which the Committee will have to send for papers and records.
§ Mr. WoodburnAm I allowed to ask any questions with regard to these powers, as the question which I want to ask is in regard to the Committee's powers?
§ Mr. Deputy-SpeakerIn regard to these particular powers, yes.
§ Mr. WoodburnDoes that mean that we are now allowed to ask why these powers are such as they are, and not such as were recommended by the Committee last Session?
§ The Chancellor of the Exchequer (Sir John Anderson)I do not think that the power which is contained in the paragraph which is just about to be put to the Committee was subject to any comment by the Select Committee.
§
Ordered:
That the Committee have power in cases where considerations of national security preclude the publishing of certain recommendations and of the arguments upon which they are based, to address a memorandum to the Prime Minister for the consideration of the War Cabinet: Provided that the Committee shall, whenever they have exercised such power, report the fact as soon as possible to the House.
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Ordered:
That seven be the quorum.
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Ordered:
That the Committee have power to appoint Sub-Committees and to refer to such Sub-Committees any of the matters referred to the Committee.
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Ordered:
That the Committee have power to appoint a Co-ordinating Sub-Committee to review, co-ordinate and direct the work of the investigating Sub-Committees, and to refer to such Sub-Committee any of the matters referred to the Committee.
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Ordered:
That the Committee have power to give such Co-ordinating Sub-Committee power to appoint such Sub-Committees as may seem to them desirable and to refer to such Sub-Committees any of the matters referred to the Committee, to alter the order of reference of any Sub-Committee, to direct two or more Sub-Committees to sit jointly, to nominate Members of the Committee for service on any Sub-Committee, to appoint the Chairman of any Sub-Committee, to discharge the members of any Sub-Committee and to appoint others in substitution for those discharged: Provided that any action taken by the Co-ordinating Sub-Committee in the exercise of any of the powers referred to in this Order shall be invalid unless approved by the Committee within twenty-one days.
§
Ordered:
That every Sub-Committee, including any Co-ordinating Sub-Committee, so appointed have power to send for persons, papers and records; to sit notwithstanding any Adjournment of the House; to adjourn from place to place; and every Sub-Committee to report any evidence taken by them to the Committee.
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Ordered:
That the Quorum of any Sub-Committee so appointed shall be two except that the quorum of any Co-ordinating Sub-Committee so appointed shall be three.
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Ordered:
That when two or more Sub-Committees have been directed to sit jointly, they shall constitute a single Sub-Committee, whose quorum shall be composed of two members of each of the Sub-Committees so directed to sit jointly."—[Sir J. Edmondson.]