HL Deb 16 July 1900 vol 86 cc8-9
THE EARL OF WEMYSS

My Lords, I beg to give notice that on Friday week I shall ask the Prime Minister the following questions— (1) Whether he or his colleagues have ever received information of expressions of opinion, from reliable sources, continuing the view of one of our Foreign Military Attachés, recently quoted in debate, to the effect that 'It is all-important that England should be strong and unassailable in the month of November next.' (2) Whether he is of opinion that the European situation is now less alarming than it seemed to him on the 9th of May last, when he spoke to the Primrose League as follows:— 'It is not necessarily because in themselves they are more important, but if you look around you will see that the elements and causes of menace and peril are, though slowly, accumulating, and may accumulate to such a point as to require our most earnest and active effort to repel them.' (3) Whether, as Prime Minister, responsible for our national safety, he has carefully inquired into our home land defensive means and organisation, and has satisfied himself that these are such as, failing the fleet, will render all attempts at invasion by any hostile nation futile and impossible of success. (4) Whether, if not satisfied as to the sufficiency and organisation of our home land defences, he will cause such measures to be taken as will give us the required security against the possibility of successful invasion by! any hostile Power. I placed on the Paper of your Lordships' House some time ago a request for a Return which would give us all the particulars with reference to our defensive position, but the noble Marquess the Secretary of State for War declined to grant the Return. The information, however, is known to the members of the Foreign Embassies. I asked one of those members if there was any information in the Return for which I asked which he could not supply, and he replied, "We know nothing." The Prime Minister, if he wishes to inform himself as to the state of things, has nothing to do but to send this paper to the Secretary of State for War and get it filled up.