§ Mr. SpeakerI ask the House to forgive me for intervening, but in the circumstances I must do so now.
I wish to inform the House that I have given further consideration to the question of Privilege raised by the right hon. Member for Farnham (Mr. Macmillan) and the hon. and learned Member for Dover and Deal (Mr. Rees). The suggestion that information about the deliberations of the Select Committee on a Wealth Tax was disclosed during the course of yesterday evening before the Committee had laid its Report on the Table is something into which I must look further.
Hon. Members have complied with the requirement of raising this matter at the earliest opportunity. The imminence of prorogation means that I shall not be able to give my ruling until early in the next Session. Under our new procedure, however, the Committee of Privileges remains in being and, should this matter be referred to it, it will be able to proceed 1611 with its investigation without having to wait for the nomination of a new Committee.