MR. KHRUSHCHEV'S SPEECH (Hansard, 18 July 1956)

§ VISCOUNT STANSGATE
My Lords, on a point of order: I understand that in this House order is governed by your Lordships' House under the guidance, of course, of the noble Leader of the House; and I am submitting to the noble Leader of the House that the Question standing on the Order Paper in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Vansittart, is not in accordance with the practice of Parliament. If your Lordships will turn to Erskine May, Chapter 18, "Maintenance of Order during debates: Rules governing the content of speeches," you will see that it begins: Unless the discussion is based on a substantive motion drawn in proper terms, reflections must not be cast in debate upon… I break off there, because there is a reference to the Sovereign in the first place. It continues: 1200 Nor may an opprobrious reflection be cast in debate on sovereigns and rulers or Governments of … countries in amity with Her Majesty … I respectfully submit to the noble Marquess the Leader of the House that he should ask the assent of your Lordships' House to a ruling that this question should not be put.

§ THE LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL (THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURY)
My Lords, I fully appreciate the preoccupation of the noble Viscount, but, with all deference to him, I hardly think that that applies in the present case. Mr. Khrushchev, to whom the question applies, is not, of course, a Sovereign, and though he happens to be a member of a Government it is not a direct reflection upon the Government itself. It seems to me that there are plenty of precedents for such a Question as this, which merely asks for information on a matter which, after all, has had a great deal of publicity in the Press. I should have thought that it was quite a proper Question to ask—although what information Her Majesty's Government will be able to give is a quite different matter.

§ VISCOUNT STANSGATE
My Lords, we are entirely in the hands of the noble Marquess the Leader of the House, because he himself will move the House to decide anything that, in his judgment, is in order. I merely put the question because it seems to me to be required, first of all to satisfy the feeling of many people who object to these constant attacks when we have Russian guests in our midst, and secondly, to preserve the dignity of your Lordships' House.

§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURY
My Lords, with all deference to the noble Viscount, I do not think that this Question really makes an attack. It asks for information.

§ VISCOUNT STANSGATE
My Lords, the reason I raised the point was that if the Question were to be ruled out of order I presume that the proper course would be for the noble Marquess to move or submit to the House that it is out of order; and then, when he had received the assent of the whole House to his judgment—as he would—the Question would be regarded as being out of order. That is how a ruling is made in this House.

§ LORD VANSITTART
My Lords, I now beg to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (THE MARQUESS OF READING)
My Lords, the noble Lord is presumably referring to reports of the reception held by the Soviet Government after the Soviet Air Review. The nature of the remarks and the circumstances in which they were made are such that Her Majesty's Government do not consider it profitable to pursue the matter further.

§ LORD VANSITTART
My Lords, I thank the noble Marquess for his Answer. I quite understand the general desire to minimise this episode. I have put down this Question simply because we are all concerned at any lowering of international intercourse.

§ VISCOUNT STANSGATE
My Lords, has the attention of the noble Marquess been drawn to the fact, first, that we have not yet heard the words alleged to have been offensive, and secondly, that The Times, on July 12, denied, or practically denied, the whole story?

§ THE MARQUESS OF SALISBURY
My Lords, I am not responsible for the words of the noble Lord, Lord Vansittart.