§ THE EARL OF MIDLETONMy Lords, on behalf of Lord Salisbury I beg to ask the Leader of the House a Question of which he has received private notice. A large number of members of this side of the House desire to raise a discussion on the question of the recent disorders in the Punjab and the petition of General Dyer. I beg to ask the noble Earl whether it would be agreeable to the Government that the discussion should take place on Monday, June 21, and that the House should sit then for the purpose, there being some difficulty as regards Papers in having it earlier. If that date should be fixed, I would also ask whether the noble Earl could give us an assurance that no decision will be arrived at with regard to General Dyer before your Lordships have had an opportunity of discussing the matter.
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (EARL CURZON OF KEDLESTON)My Lords, the noble Marquess, Lord Salisbury, gave me notice of his intention to ask the Question which has just been put by the noble Earl. It is, in my view, entirely reasonable that this House should seek an opportunity of expressing its opinion upon the incidents to which the noble Earl refers, and I should have been quite prepared to give Monday, June 21, or any other day that was suitable to the convenience of your Lordships, but there is this difficulty about fixing a date at this moment. The situation has changed somewhat, as the noble Earl may have seen from the newspapers, during the last twenty-four hours. The matter is now before the Army Council in London. General Dyer has submitted a request, to which an affirmative reply has been given, to make a written statement to that body, and to that extent the matter may still be regarded as sub judice.
It is in these circumstances that the discussion of the matter in another place, 575 which was to have taken place in the debate on the Indian Budget to-day, has been postponed. It was thought not only undesirable but unfair to have a discussion upon the matter while the case is still undecided. How long it will take for General Dyer to place his case before the Army Council, and how long the Army Council will take to consider and decide upon it, I am, of course, not in a position to state. I agree with my noble friend that it is desirable that an opportunity should be given to this House at an early date to consider the matter, and when I am a little better informed as to the amount of time that will elapse before the Army Council considers and arrives at a conclusion upon the matter, perhaps the noble Earl will allow me to communicate with him again as to fixing the most suitable day for the discussion here. It is obviously undesirable that while the matter is still pending it should be discussed, either in one place or in the other, and the rule of abstinence which has been prescribed to itself by the House of Commons is one which, I am convinced, your Lordships will also be quite willing, in your own interest, to follow.