PRIVILEGE (COMPLAINT) (Hansard, 6 December 1955)

§ Mr. S. Silverman
On a point of order. I desire to raise with you, Mr. Speaker, an occurrence which may possibly be a breach of Privilege. I apologise for not having had the opportunity of giving you notice of this beforehand, and I appreciate that that may put you in some difficulty in answering immediately, but I thought that the rule about bringing such a matter promptly to the attention of the House compelled me to raise it now, even without notice.
I have had sent to me a copy of the Belfast Telegraph published on Saturday, 3rd December. It reached me only this morning. On the front page there appears a paragraph which is headed: M.P. 'Pilloried over quibble.' That paragraph reads, in as far as it is relevant to my complaint: In a reference to the threat of disqualification of Mr. Charles Beattie, M.P. for Mid Ulster at Westminster, the chairman of North Tyrone Unionist Association (Mr. E. T. R. Herdman) said Mr. Beattie had their wholehearted support. He told the Association's meeting he could not understand how anyone could consider Mr. Beattie's membership of an Appeals Tribunal a post of profit under the Crown. He thought it"— The next few words appear within quotation marks, which seems to mean that they are the actual words used. —'disgraceful that a person who served the community in such a way should be pilloried over some legal quibble'. 203 The only way in which this gentleman was "pilloried" was when the Leader of the House told us what had occurred and suggested that the matter ought to go to the Select Committee. To describe the action taken by the right hon. Gentleman the Leader of the House, who was only doing his duty, as "disgraceful," or the House agreeing to his proposal as "disgraceful," would appear to be the kind of criticism of Parliament and its officers which is usually held to be prima facie a breach of Privilege.

§ Mr. Speaker
As the hon. Member for Nelson and Colne (Mr. S. Silverman) has told the House, he had no opportunity of telling me that this was coming up and I must deal with the matter as it appears to me prima facie. There has evidently been a misunderstanding of the position by the person who is quoted in that article, but I do not think that it amounts prima facie to a breach of Privilege. If the hon. Member wishes to pursue it further on consideration, he can put down a Motion to that effect for the judgment of the House, but my view, for what it

§ Mr. Silverman
May I say at once that I hold no opinion on the subject whatever, and for my part I am perfectly content to accept Mr. Speaker's Ruling on the matter, even without inquiry? I brought it forward because it seemed to me that the proper authority to determine it was not myself, but, first, Mr. Speaker and, subject to his Ruling, the House of Commons.

§ Mr. Speaker
I think that the hon. Member for Nelson and Colne has acted perfectly properly.