§ The Lord President of the Council (Mr. Herbert Morrison)I beg to move,
That the Chairman of Ways and Means, Mr. Burden, Mr. Gammans and Major Lloyd George have leave of absence to present, on behalf of this House, a Mace and Speaker's Chair to the House of Representatives of Ceylon.The necessity for this Motion was explained to the House recently when, it will be remembered, the House was good enough to agree to the presentation of an Address to His Majesty praying that the necessary steps might be taken to this end, and that the cost should be met out of public funds. His Majesty has been good enough to concur very warmly in the recommendation of the House. It is now necessary that the House should appoint representatives to visit Ceylon for the purpose of handing over the Speaker's 841 Chair and the Mace, and I am sure the House will agree that we have selected an admirable delegation.Perhaps I may be permitted to add that there will be on view, today and tomorrow, in the dining room of Mr. Speaker's house, the Speaker's Chair and the Mace which it is proposed to present to Ceylon. They will be there for Members to see, and I am sure that we are much obliged to you, Sir, for the facilities you have accorded to us. I feel confident that this Motion will commend itself to the House, and I hope that the right hon. Member and hon. Members who compose the delegation will have a happy journey and a pleasant visit to Ceylon. We feel confident that they will discharge their duties with that high standard which we expect of all representatives of Parliament going abroad.
§ Mr. Eden (Warwick and Leamington)We desire to associate ourselves, on this side of the House, with the Motion which the Lord President has just moved. It seems to us that the delegation has been admirably chosen. We hope that our friends in the Parliament of Ceylon will receive the Chair and Mace as a token of our friendship, and will regard them as an indication of our faith that in the coming years we can work together to uphold the parliamentary system in which we believe.
§ Question put, and agreed to.