asked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury whether, in view of the fact that the report of the May Committee on National Expenditure makes no mention of the witnesses who appeared before the committee or the number of meetings held by the committee, he will give a list of the witnesses examined by the May Committee and the number of meetings held at which oral evidence was heard?

The terms of reference to the recent Committee on National Expenditure and its procedure followed precisely the precedent of the Geddes Committee in 1921–22, and the Government are unaware of any reason for any such variation as that suggested by the hon. Member.

May I ask whether any evidence was taken with regard to administrative economies from people outside the heads of the Services?

I am afraid that I cannot add anything to the answer I have given.

Mr. MACLEAN:

Can the hon. and gallant Member say whether the minutes of evidence will be published?

No. I have already said that there will be no departure from the procedure followed in the case of the Geddes Committee.

Mr. MACLEAN:

As this is a most important committee on which so much devolved, as instanced by this special Session of Parliament, cannot the Government depart from the procedure adopted in the case of the previous committee and print the evidence, so that hon. Members may know what guided their recommendations to the Government?

It was in the power of the committee to determine its own procedure, and as to printing the minutes of evidence. The Geddes Committee was also an important committee.

Mr. MACLEAN:

Did this committee lay it down that the evidence submitted before it was to be treated as private and confidential?

There were representatives of every party on the committee, and they laid down their own procedure.

Mr. MACLEAN:

Can the hon. and gallant Member say whether the committee laid it down that the evidence submitted to them was to be treated as private and confidential?

I am afraid the hon. Member will have to ask the members of the committee.

Mr. MACLEAN:

This House has to consider Resolutions and actions upon the report of this particular committee, and we are entitled to know whether the evidence given before it, upon which so much has arisen, is to be treated as private and confidential, and that no minutes of evidence are to be published.

The hon. Member is no doubt aware that the House is being asked to consider business submitted to it by the Government and not anything in the report of the committee.

asked the Prime Minister if he will state the date on which advance proofs of the Economy Committee's Report were communicated to the leaders of the Conservative and Liberal parties; the number of copies supplied to each party; the limit, if any, within which those receiving copies were allowed to show the document or divulge its contents to persons other than the actual recipients; the names of the Right Honourable and honourable Members of this House, outside the Government then existing, to whom advance copies were sent; and the names of any persons not Members of this House to whom advance copies were sent?

I have nothing to add to the reply I gave to the hon. Member on the 10th September.

Am I to understand that the right hon. Gentleman declines to answer any points, none of which were in the question that he answered previously?

The practice followed at Question Time is the usual practice, and is regarded as such.

Seeing that the right hon. Gentleman's own Lord Chancellor said that the May Committee was the committee that, "did them in," may we not know the names of the hon. Members in whose hands the daggers were placed?