§ VISCOUNT PEELMy Lords, I desire to ask His Majesty's Government to state the terms of reference of the Committee recently appointed in India to examine into the working of the Constitution.
§ LORD OLIVIERMy Lords, I have not been informed of the precise terms of reference given to the Committee with 360 regard to which the noble Viscount inquires; but I have no doubt that they will direct the Committee to address themselves to the purposes clearly stated in Sir Malcolm Hailey's speeches in the Legislative Assembly on February 8 and February 18 last, from which I may quote the following words:—
We propose to make a serious attempt to investigate justifiable complaints against the working of the Government of India Act in practice; to assess causes and to examine the remedies necessary.I am informed by the Viceroy that the Committee, as so far constituted, consists of three members of the Governor-General's Executive Council, and three Secretaries to the Government of India, that at the present stage the Committee is engaged in examining the legal and constitutional questions involved—spade work which must of necessity be undertaken in the first instance in order to determine the potentialities of the situation. That is all the information I am able at the moment to give to the noble Viscount.
§ VISCOUNT PEELI do not know whether I may, with the leave of your Lordships, ask the noble Lord, the Secretary of State for India, whether he would have any objection to obtaining from the Government, of India the precise terms of reference under which the Committee is working.
§ LORD OLIVIERI will certainly do as the noble Viscount wishes.
§ VISCOUNT PEELI am very much obliged to the noble Lord.
§ [From Minutes of May 7.]