Sessional Orders. – in the House of Commons at on 20 November 1934.
Motion made, and Question proposed, "That if it shall appear that any person hath been tampering with any Witness, in respect of his evidence to be given to this House, or any Committee thereof, or directly or indirectly hath endeavoured to deter or hinder any person from appearing or giving evidence, the same is declared to be a high crime or misdemeanour; and this House will proceed with the utmost severity against such offender."
Mr Ramsay Macdonald
, Seaham
This is the Sessional Order which came under review by the Committee of Privileges, which sat recently on the Motion of the right hon. Gentleman the Member for Epping (Mr. Churchill). The Committee of Privileges found that this Order, passed originally in 1700, was not perhaps quite applicable to modern conditions, certainly not as precisely and accurately as we would desire. Therefore, I wish to give notice that to-night I shall hand in a Motion that a Select Committee of the House be appointed to consider this Sessional Order and to make recommendations. In the meantime, I hope the House will pass the Order as it stands.
Mr John Gretton
, Burton
I am sure that the House has heard with satisfaction the statement which the Prime Minister, as Leader of the House, has just made. Grave doubts and anxieties have arisen in connection with this matter since this question was discussed before the Committee of Privileges, and it is highly desirable that those doubts should be resolved and the true position interpreted. As a private Member, I, therefore, welcome the right hon. Gentleman's statement. This is not the time for debating the matter, and I shall reserve any observations which I desire to submit to the consideration of the House until the Motion, just announced by the Prime Minister, is taken.
Mr Winston Churchill
, Epping
I, too, agree with my right hon. and gallant Friend that this is certainly not a convenient time to debate the matter. I only rise for the purpose of making my compliments to His Majesty's Government, upon the highly significant announcement which the Prime Minister has just made of his intention to set up a committee. Some Gentlemen in the House have been much concerned about the state in which our Procedure was left after the recent decision, and we might have had some conversation upon the subject upon this occasion—which I understand would have been in order—but it is far better that a Motion of this kind should have come from the Government, spontaneously and upon their own initiative. I certainly propose to follow the advice of my right hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Burton (Colonel Gretton) in deferring any remarks which I may have to make—and I must frankly confess, there are one or two things which occur to me on the subject—until the Motion for a Select Committee of inquiry is brought before the House, on which occasion I trust, Mr. Speaker, I shall be fortunate in catching your eye.
Resolved, That if it shall appear that any person hath been tampering with any Witness, in respect of his evidence to be given to this House, or any Committee thereof, or directly or indirectly hath endeavoured to deter or hinder any person from appearing or giving evidence, the same is declared to be a high crime or misdemeanour; and this House will proceed with the utmost severity against such offender.
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